StarCrossed
by Lenneko-chan
Summary: Seto Kaiba is a busy man, but quite happy with his life. Nothing remotely complicated or weird ever happens, so life's good. Someone high above thinks it's time to change that, getting some help from a secretary, crafty twins, and others. SxK & MokubaxOC
1. Prologue

**And I've started on a new story yet again, people! Yes, I know I haven't updated Your Love Is Just A Lie in a while, but I'm working on it, PROMISE! School's been a bitch, lately, but I've just finished all of my final exams, so if everything goes as planned, I'll graduate now. So now I have all the time in the world to write and write more and write a lot more after that.**

**So, on with this story: I've always wanted to rewrite The Eyes I Can't Forget as a multi-chapter. And thanks to HopelessRomantic183, it's now finally here! You see, ****HopelessRomantic183 told me that my Yu-Gi-Oh fics are very good, thanks for that, by the way ;), so then I asked: would you like me to write a TEICF multi-chapter? The answer was an overwhelming reply along the lines of "I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T MAKE IT A MULTI-CHAPPIE!", so yeah, there wasn't much else I could do after that ^_^' **

**Now, please don't get me wrong. I'd like to point out two very important things. One: I will not remove TEICF, 'cause I love that summary sized thingie to death (it's soooooo short!), and Two: this multi-chapter may or may not have a different ending, I'm still not sure about that.**

**This prologue will be a bit boring, but I believe it's very important since the basic facts are told. The first actual chapter is also the actual beginning of the story. Please forgive me, I know I'm mean.**

**I love you all for reading. I got the inspiration for this story's title from ****HopelessRomantic183. Thank you!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything related to it, but the idea and the plot for this story are all mine.  
**

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To say that Seto Kaiba was a busy man would have to have been the understatement of the century. Despite his young age, he was the president of the very successful KaibaCorp, a company specialized in entertainment, the game industry to be more precise, and most of all, a company specialized in Duel Monsters technology. Duel Monsters was extremely popular, which ultimately made Seto Kaiba the very busy young man he was. Now, don't get me wrong. It wasn't like Seto didn't _like_ to be busy. In fact, he _loved_ Duel Monsters. It was on his mind when he was awake, it was in his dreams when he was asleep, he was just always busy with it some way or another 24/7.

That being said, I should probably point out that Duel Monsters wasn't the one and only thing Seto thought of or cared about. The company, KaibaCorp, was very important, too, of course. But Seto was known to be willing to give up all and everything for one person. And I know what you guys are all thinking, but _no_, Seto was _not_ in love, never had been, and he was convinced that he never would be. No, the person I'm talking about is his younger brother. Seto's younger brother, Mokuba, was what he cared about most. And that would never change! Seto was more than a little convinced of this.

Seto and Mokuba had become orphans at a young age. They had been adopted by the former president of KaibaCorp, Gozaburo Kaiba, who happened to have a son of his own, Noah. Sadly, Noah had never really gotten the chance to follow in his father's footsteps in becoming the next KaibaCorp president. He'd gotten in an accident as a child and, well, to make a long story short, he slowly disappeared behind the scenes when his father adopted Seto and Mokuba. Seto became his replacement, so to say, and in the end, Seto became the next KaibaCorp president.

And this brings us to world Seto lived in at age 21. One: Duel Monsters was extremely popular. Two: Seto loved Duel Monsters, had hardly ever been beaten at the game and hated to lose. Three: Seto was the president of about the most important company in the Duel Monsters department. And four: Seto loved his brother more than anything, or anyone. Oh, and five: Seto's life revolved around these four facts. That's it, the end, nothing more to it.

All in all, Seto was quite happy with his life. Things were organized, nothing remotely weird or unexpected ever happened, nothing ever got more complicated than he could handle. Did he _miss_ anything in his life? No, nothing. He had everything he wanted. Life was good as it was. He didn't want, didn't _need_ anything more in his life.

But that's was _Seto_ thought. Until something happened that he couldn't have foreseen with all of his business instinct if his life had depended on it. At age 21, Seto's life suddenly turned very, _very_ upside down. And it was all thanks to _one_ woman. Well, with a little help of Lady Fate, perhaps.

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**Short once again, but I already told you: this is just the prologue that includes and tells the basic facts. I hope to have gotten you guys all curious and I hope even more to see you all back in the next chapter, aka the actual start of this story.**

**Love you all, and remember: reviews make me work faster!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**The first REAL chapter, I'm terribly sorry the prologue was crap (I really think it was xD).**

**Thank you, tortacaprese, for your nice review!**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

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One of the first things people noticed when they first met Seto Kaiba, was that it was all business. Seto was very straightforward, and he wasn't one for being nice. People were easily intimidated by him, and Seto always used that to his advantage. The only one he couldn't intimidate was his brother Mokuba, but then again, he didn't have to. Mokuba adored his older brother, and he hated it to be away from him. He would always wait for Seto to come home, no matter what the time was when that actually happened. It happened more often than not than Seto came home after midnight, or that he didn't come home at all and spent the night in his office instead (but in that case, he always was considerate enough to call Mokuba and tell him to go to bed and get some sleep).

Just for the record: Seto and Mokuba NEVER hugged! Not ever! In fact, Seto avoided physical contact with anyone as much as possible. Physical contact made him feel vulnerable and he didn't like that. Not at all. To Seto, vulnerability equaled weakness. And weakness was what Seto despised more than anything. Mokuba always made sure not to cry, no matter what, in the presence of his older brother.

Knowing this, one shouldn't be surprised to hear that Seto Kaiba didn't like movies (while Mokuba loved watching movies, his favorites being Disney Classics like The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas), since there was always some sort of vulnerability and therefore weakness present. So needless to say that when Seto came home on the fateful day on which our story begins, he was more than a little irritated when he saw Mokuba watching the scene in Beauty and the Beast in which Belle cries over the Beast's body near the end of the movie.

}:{

_Tuesday, May 3, 9.54 PM_

Seto almost wished he had spent his night on the couch in his office. He had now been home for less than five minutes and the sniffling sounds coming from the TV drove him crazy already! Not to say the sickening sweet scenes that would follow! Now, Seto _could_ imagine 6-year old little girls being in love with such a beyond-sugary-sweet movie, but why _Mokuba_, too, of all people?

The young KaibaCorp president was in his room, getting ready for his routine evening shower (he was on a very tight schedule even in his free time), but the walls and doors didn't block out that _music_, the _noise_, it was just _infuriating_!

'_Note to self: I have to make this house soundproof. My own room, especially!'_

The sound of the water running, thankfully, blocked out the sounds of the movie, and when Seto reappeared in the living room of his and Mokuba's apartment, clad in clothes far more comfortable than his usual business suit, he mentally sighed in relief to find the TV turned off. But his face remained stoic and void of emotion. Seto Kaiba didn't like emotions. That was a fact. Oh well, he was willing to allow a minor exception to that every once in a while when it came to Mokuba. His brother was allowed a tear or two every now and then (although Seto knew his brother tried to hide any tears in his presence, for which he was more than grateful), and it warmed Seto on the inside to see his baby brother smile or laugh.

His baby brother in question was sitting on the living room couch, reading a book (_How to impress your superiors and ensure your rival's downfall)_. Seto saw the Beauty and the Beast DVD box hidden behind the cushion Mokuba was leaning against (it was next to impossible to hide anything from him in his own house). The teenager looked up when his brother sat down next to him, a look of slight disapproval on his face (he tried to hide it, but failed, he really loathed Disney). Mokuba smiled innocently.

"Is there something the matter, brother?" he asked sweetly. He hadn't expected his brother to come home before 10.30 PM, so to be caught while watching a very emotional scene in a Disney movie had gotten him a little insecure. He had wanted to hide the DVD box, but then Seto had suddenly come in (how that man could take a decent shower in such a short amount of time was something Mokuba wasn't sure he wanted to know).

"Well, perhaps you could tell me why you still haven't removed _that thing_ from my presence?" Seto answered, pointing at the DVD box that was barely visible, but surely there. Mokuba turned beet red.

"Oh, come on, Seto, it's just a movie," he grumbled. Seto's gaze turned ice-cold.

"Mokuba," he said in a low, steady, too calm and therefore terrifying voice, "I'm sure that movie is great to watch, _when one's a six-year old little girl_, but for _you_ to like it is something I'd rather ignore, not to mention be unaware of. It's fake, it's weak, and as much as I hate to break it to you, I loathe it with all that I am. So if you'd please be so kind to just put it somewhere where I can continue to blissfully ignore it, it would be appreciated."

"How do you mean, 'fake'? Love isn't fake, Seto!" the teen said angrily. He hated to be called weak, even more so when it was said in such a subtle way.

"It's a _fairytale_, Mokuba, not love. Reality is something entirely different," Seto said as if he was talking to a five-year old.

"_Reality?_ Seto, these so-called _fairytales_ are based on reality! Why, _why_ do you hate them so much? It's not like they'll kill you or anything!" Mokuba was now seriously pissed. He always got like that when someone dared calling something he truly loved bad names.

"Because fairytales are _useless_, that's why. This thing called 'love' is something that some desperate idiots made up because they were weak and couldn't face the real world. This '_one _true love' thing is even worse. It's not like you can't live on after someone you care about dies or leaves you or whatever. Sure, it's sad, but you should get over it. Shit happens, but life goes on. And _that_, little brother, is what grownups call _reality_. Fairytales are fake, get over it."

Seto had to admit he regretted his little outburst when his little brother locked himself in his room ten seconds later, taking his book and his beloved _movie_ with him. Mokuba had cried.

}:{

Now, one might wonder what that 'one true love'-twaddle was about, and that brings us to reason why Seto hated emotions, why he hated becoming _attached_ to people or things. Emotions only resulted in pain and sadness in the end. But, if you abandon all emotion, then you'll never know the pain of losing someone. Seto had started to think like this when his parents had left him and his brother. They had been orphans ever since their father died (their mother had died right after Mokuba was born). Losing those two people had caused so much pain, and Seto never wanted to experience such pain again. That's why he'd only allowed himself to stay emotionally attached to one person: Mokuba. His one and only fear now was to lose Mokuba. And he _hated_ that fear, which was, again, a sign of weakness.

The worst emotion of all, in Seto's opinion, the very worst emotion a human being could _possibly _experience, was love. Seto found it to be highly overrated. 'Love at first sight', 'someone's one true love', hah, get real! There was no such thing as falling in love with a person the moment you saw them. That just didn't happen. It wasn't like there was a rope or something that bound two people together the moment they were born. It wasn't like one was _destined_ to be with one person and that one person only. People couldn't be 'meant to be together'. People who believed that were better off in fairytales.

And even if there was such a thing as a 'love of one's life', which there wasn't, but let's just say there _was_, then it wasn't like if you have person A and person B, and person A dies, that person B would die as well from a broken heart. If the one you're in love with dies, then of course that's sad, Seto would never claim otherwise, but the one left behind wouldn't die because of it, life isn't fair, it's cruel, it'll always go on, no matter what.

Thus was Seto's state of mind that one Tuesday evening, when he could vaguely hear Mokuba's soft sobs, which sounded genuinely hurt, even when muffled by what Seto assumed was a pillow. Even _that_ caused his heart to ache a little.

}:{

That evening, Seto once again vowed to never, _ever_, fall in love.

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**And here we are, at the end of the first real chapter. I hope you liked it, and I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I'm seriously considering to introduce Kisara in the next chapter already.**

**Remember: I love feedback! Thanks for reading!  
**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**First of all****, ****I'd like to thank the people who reviewed the last chapter, .rain and HopelessRomantic183. Second, I'd like to tell you that writing this chapter was a lot of fun. This chapter, two new characters will be introduced and I've also decided that Mokuba will play a very important part in this story (thank you, .rain, for the idea).**

**Anyways, enjoy the second chapter of StarCrossed!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

_

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Wednesday, May 4, 8.07 AM _

Mika Koriachi was 25 years of age and had been working at KaibaCorp for about 6 years now. Those 6 years had been tough, but that had made _her_ tough and that was something Seto Kaiba thought to be highly admirable. Apart from being tough, Mika was also very accurate, perceptive and discreet. This made her an excellent secretary, and everyone knew it. Thanks to her perceptiveness, Mika could sense her boss' bad mood about ten minutes before he entered their office (two rooms actually, a small one for Mika and a much bigger one for Seto, only partly separated by a thin wall that had no door. Seto thought that was much easier, since he was a busy man and needed to communicate a lot with his secretary, whom he (surprisingly) trusted completely). Thus Mika knew better than to say "good morning" when Seto came in. Instead, she put a cup of very hot coffee on Seto's desk and went back to work, giving her boss some time to cool down.

As said, Seto was in a bad mood. He hadn't had a very good night sleep, with Mokuba's tears constantly on his mind. Then that morning at breakfast (the brothers _always_ had breakfast together), Mokuba hadn't even _looked_ at him, let alone said anything. Seto didn't like being ignored. It felt too much like losing, and he hated losing.

He sighed, took his cup of coffee from his desk and stared out of the window. The skyline was beautiful, he had to admit. The office was almost at the highest floor of the skyscraper, thus ensuring a terrific view. As the minutes passed, Seto calmed down a bit. Just enough so that he could focus on his job instead of feeling guilty.

"Mika!" he called. The time was 8.30 AM. Time for business.

}:{

_Different POV, 9.13 AM_

This was just great, terrific, absolutely _fabulous_ and all in all fucking _fantastic!_ Yeah, note the sarcasm here, people! It was my very first day in Domino City and I had managed to get lost in that very same city not _one hour_ after I had even arrived. In my head, it had been very simple. One: get off the airplane. Two: collect luggage (yeah, I actually manage to forget that if I don't make a things-to-do list). Three: find a taxi. Four: get to my new apartment in one piece. And five: start a new life in a new city with a new job. Done! Easy!

And it had been, until I'd reached step three. There hadn't been _one_ taxi in sight! That was just my luck (read: my lack thereof). So what did I do _then_, idiotic fool that I am? I decided to take the subway and walk when necessary. Note to self: never again! Finding the subway hadn't been the problem. Getting to the station that was nearest to my apartment hadn't been the problem. But getting from the station to my new home, _that_ was a problem. Like I said, I had gotten myself hopelessly lost. I was tired, hungry, and my feet hurt.

Now what?

}:{

_Original POV, 11.38 AM_

"Seto?"

Seto looked up, seeing Mika standing in the doorway (not that there was an actual door, but whatever). Yeah, Mika was allowed to call her boss by his first name, now _that_ was something to brag about at KaibaCorp. Not that she ever did, but it caused all of the other employees to have deep respect for her. Mika had power. A lot of it.

"What is it?" Seto asked, while focusing on the screen of his laptop again.

"I just wanted to remind you that you'll have to welcome some very important visitors tomorrow. You didn't forget, did you?" Of course Seto never forgot something like an important meeting, but Mika always felt the need to remind him. Just because.

Seto gave her a look, but remained silent.

"Tomorrow morning, 8.00 AM on the dot. Be here at 7.45, please don't be late," Mika said in a tone that said _"…or else"_. With that, she went back to her desk.

Seto sighed. It was a pain, such an important meeting at such an ungodly hour, but if he'd be able to get that deal… Yisuba Technologies was about his most important business acquaintance. Without Yisuba, it would have been much and much harder to organize the "Battle City Tournament". He sighed again. If it was for Yisuba, then Seto was willing to have a meeting at _4.00_ AM if necessary. Plus, Yisuba would bring along a man Seto was anxious to meet: Ken Fujiwaka, possibly a new business partner. Seto was planning on a new tournament, introducing a new Duel Monsters 3D battle system, and he was hoping Fujiwaka was willing to provide the location for the tournament (the man was a land owner/trader). If this meeting was going to work out the way Seto wanted to, then he'd be one happy man.

}:{

Although unusual, Seto left his office at 6.00 PM, deciding to call it a day.

"Mika," he said, "Would you please be so kind to call Mokuba and tell him I'm on my way?"

Mika nodded. "Sure." Then she hesitated. "Seto?" she called out before Seto as much as _touched_ the doorknob. He turned around. "Did something happen?"

Seto couldn't hide his surprise, but then quickly got a hold of himself.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, avoiding eye contact. Mika shrugged.

"Well, since you usually call him yourself…" He sighed.

"Nothing I can't handle, I'm just not sure if he'd want to talk to me right now, that's all."

Mika shrugged again.

"I'll tell him you're on your way, then. Have a safe ride home," she said, while reaching for the phone. However…

"Wait!" Seto called out. Mika found it very difficult to hide her all-knowing smirk, but she managed. She just knew this man way too well.

"You're right. I'll call him myself. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Seto left.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 6.01 PM_

I angrily shoved my book on the ground. After catching myself reading the same paragraph for the eighth time and still not knowing what I'd just read, I decided I was done for the day. I was tired and I wanted food.

The digital alarm clock on my nightstand read 18.02. Big brother would stay in his office until much later, I knew this from experience. In other words, it was time to call the pizza guy. Yeah, pizza sounded pretty good. Of course, Seto'd rather have I'd have some _decent _dinner, but tonight, pizza would be decent enough. Don't give me that look! I'm a 17-year old guy, I'm _supposed_ to be a little rebellious every now and then!

I sighed. I was sorry for acting so cold at breakfast, and right now, more than anything, I just wanted to call Seto and… well, _talk_, I guess. We hardly ever did that anymore. Okay, that's not exactly true, we talked about the company a lot, and school. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to have a pointless conversation again, like we used to have when I was still a little kid. Do I happen to mean that Seto hadn't been a little kid? Yup, that's exactly what I mean. I could never, not for the life of me, think of my big brother as a little kid. He'd always been an adult-like guy to me, even when our dad was still alive. Hey, Seto was my big brother, I _adored_ the guy!

Anyways, I wanted to hear his voice. Even if it held next to no emotion, Seto's voice alone always managed to calm me down. And at the moment, I felt like I needed that. It was also always at times like these where I wished I had more friends. Seto had been more or less my only friend-like person for years. But during my final year in middle school, I'd met a girl, Emiko, who had become my best friend. A girl? Yes, a girl. Do I like her _that way?_ No, I don't, stop asking all of those obvious questions, it's annoying.

But no matter what, Emiko wasn't Seto. And no matter how cold and annoying the guy could be, whenever I was upset, I wanted _Seto_ to comfort me and _no one else!_ How he could comfort me with that attitude-from-hell of his was beyond me, but he was the only one who could always calm me down. However, he was also the cause of a lot of my tears.

Do you know when the last time was when we hugged? You don't know? Make a guess, then. You really have no clue, do you? I'll tell you, then. I was 11, Seto was 15, and I had fallen down the stairs. I was hurt all over and I just couldn't stop crying. In the end, Seto came up to me and gave me a hug and even a quick kiss on the top of my head. It still took me half an hour after that to actually calm down, and then Seto asked me if I wanted to play chess with him. I would've done anything to spend time with him, and that was still the case nowadays, so we played chess, and he let me win. At the time, I had been convinced I had beaten him on my own, and he did nothing to make me believe otherwise, but looking back at it, I knew he'd let me win.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have him hug me again, even if it was _just one time. _Yes, I know what that sounds like, but I miss the big brother I used to have. It's rare for Seto to even _smile_ nowadays. I'll tell you why our little argument of last night hit me as hard as it did. Remember when Seto said that love is fake? The first thought that came to my mind then was that he meant that our love for each other as brothers was also fake. Of course I knew he didn't mean it like that, really, I know the guy loves me to death, but it still hurt like you wouldn't believe.

Y'know, there's this other thing that's been bugging me for a while. When I was really little, I remember Seto called me "baby brother". And I also remember myself yelling that I wasn't a baby anymore. And he'd smile and hug me and then I'd act all irritated but deep inside I'd always enjoy it to no end. By the time we lived at the orphanage Seto called me "little brother". I enjoyed that openly. It made me feel special, and loved, since that was a title only reserved for me. But nowadays… I can't remember him ever calling me "brother" after my 16th birthday. I was just "Mokuba" now. I sighed. Oh well, I'd just have to live with it, I guess.

It was now 6.14 PM and I still had to make that pizza phone call. But when I reached for my cell phone, it went off. The caller ID said _'Seto'._ I guess he'd stay at the office again, then. I picked up.

"Hi," I said in a monotone voice. I would never have expected his answer.

"I'm on my way home."

I stared at my phone for a good four seconds before I remembered how to speak again.

"Y-you are? This early? Well, that's, eh… nice, I guess." I really was at a loss for words, can you tell?

"Heh, and here I thought you'd be happy to have me come home before night."

Wait, was that supposed to be a joke?

"I'm allowed to be surprised, am I not?" I asked. Way to go, dumbass, weren't you going to apologize? Seto beat me to it, however.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that last night. I guess I got a bit carried away. Did you already have dinner?"

"No, not yet," I said, eyes wide. It had been _months_ since we'd had dinner together, the last time being when his secretary, Mika, had forced him to go home because he had had a cold and, Seto being Seto, he had been way too stubborn to stay home for a day or two. He had actually _ruffled my hair_ that night, can you believe that?

"Good," Seto said, "How does pizza sound?"

}:{

That night, Mokuba made a mental note to ask Mika if she could force his brother to go home early more often. Getting your hair ruffled wasn't exactly a hug, but it made him feel special nonetheless.

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**Remember: every author loves feedback ;D**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi, all! And here is: the third chapter of StarCrossed! Yes, already! Hey, I love this story!**

**Thank you, tortacaprese, for your review. Yeah, I love Mokuba in this story. And his emotional rollercoaster ride is only just beginning! Mhwuahahaha!**

**Thank you, again, HopelessRomantic183. I swear, without you, this story wouldn't have been written for a long, LONG time! Thank you for all of your support!**

**This website doesn't like names with dots in them, it seems, so I'd like to thank sweet**_dot_**summer**_dot_**rain one more time for the review!**

**In this chapter: the moment all of you have anxiously been waiting for! Seto meets Kisara!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

****_

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Different POV, 6.24 AM_

I was sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of tea in front of me. I was wearing a black suit and I had put my long hair in a ponytail in such a way that it wouldn't get in my eyes, but still looked professional. At least, I hope it did.

Yawning, I stood up. I downed my tea, put my cup in the dishwasher, picked up my small, black suitcase and looked in the mirror. Despite the fact that I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open, I didn't _look_ tired. No, not at all. My blue eyes were bright and alert. One would never have guessed that I had only been home for some hours (long story, I'll tell you in a bit).

I grabbed my keys, left the house, locked the door and then I was off to work. Yes, on foot. Thank goodness I'd been smart enough to put shoes on that didn't have high heels. It was a 15-minute walk to the subway station, from there on, it would take me a little more than 30 minutes to get to work.

Since it would be boring to tell you how unentertaining my walk was, I'll tell you how I managed to get home the day before. By one PM, I had had enough of constant walking and a growling stomach, so I'd decided to take care of the latter first. I'd eaten at a small Italian restaurant (it had instantly become my favorite) and then I'd asked one of the waitresses if she could help me in finding a taxi. She did just that, and as it turned out, my apartment was only one block away from the restaurant (no one's face had ever turned more red in all of human history, I swear, I was too embarrassed for words). Luckily (yeah, it was my first lucky moment of the day, despite finding the best Italian restaurant in all of non-Italy), the taxi driver was a saint and offered to take me home (I looked even worse than I felt), since my luggage "looked so heavy". Hey, I'm stronger than I look! Of course, I said yes immediately, and the good man was even so sweet to carry my luggage inside for me. I had then decided to get some sleep and by the time I'd woken up, it had been dinner time already. Just so you know, I never have much of an appetite in the morning, but I get hungry fast at any other time of the day. So yeah, I had been hungry again. But I shouldn't need to remind me that, since it had been my first day and all, there hadn't even been a bread crumb to be found in the entire house. So then I had decided to go find a grocery store (how hard could that be?). well, indeed, the store hadn't been too hard to find, but finding my way back had taken some time. All in all, I hadn't gone to sleep until 11 PM or so, with unpacking and everything (all of my other stuff, such as furniture and most of my wardrobe, had already been there, it was just me that had been missing), so I was tired when the alarm had gone off 7 hours later.

Anyway, back to the day at hand. I had a new job as an agent at the Fujiwaka Company, my direct superior being Mr. Ken Fujiwaka himself. And for _some_ reason, that man had thought it to be a good idea to take the newbie agent to a very, _very_ important meeting that would start at the ungodly hour of 8.00 AM. I hated the guy already.

It would be a meeting of three companies and in total, there'd be about 30-40 people present. If we could get the deal Mr. Fujiwaka wanted, then I'd have to travel between the different companies to look after my boss' interests. I'd thought that to be an easy enough job, but then one of my new colleagues told me that it was actually one of the hardest jobs. You see, the owner of one of those other companies, Mr. Yisuba, was actually my boss' puppet and everyone seemed to know it, except for him. But it was the _other_ guy I apparently would have to look out for.

The third company was Kaiba Corporation, more commonly known as KaibaCorp. And the president of KaibaCorp was Seto Kaiba, one of the most notorious business men in the known _and unknown_ world. If you ever meet my boss, and he tells you he's not afraid of Seto Kaiba and never has been, then he's lying! _Everyone_ was afraid of that guy. And you know what's most amazing? Kaiba is only 21 years old. He's only a few months older than I am, it's frightening, really. And if everything would go well, then I'd have to deal with him on a weekly basis, if not daily! And such would be just my luck. Or, again, my lack thereof.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 7.02 AM_

My brother and I always have breakfast together. No exceptions. Even when he's spent the night in his office, then we always meet in the company's cafeteria and have breakfast there, after which Seto always manages to make sure I get at school in time. Sometimes I'm sure that it's the small things now, like breakfast, through which he shows me that he loves me. No, of course I'm _not_ desperate for his attention, how dare you even _think _that?

I could tell that mentally, Seto was already in the middle of that meeting. He'd barely touched his food, even though I was almost done already, and his eyes were unfocused, like he was looking at something in his mind's eye, something only he could see. I would give quite a lot to be present at that meeting, but I knew Seto would never allow it. Yeah, he thought it would be good for me, but he also thought that on school days, school was more important. But I went with him on most Saturdays (yes, he works on Saturdays as well, why are you so surprised?). I had always found it hilarious how all those high and mighty business "VIP's" always started to shudder and stutter whenever my brother as much a _looked_ at them! I never found him to be intimidating in the least. What was _also_ very funny, especially when I was still a kid (12 years old or so), was that those same guys had to address me as "young Mr. Kaiba", or something overly respectful along those lines. They _did not_ like that! Some of them have grandsons who're just as old as I am, so yeah… But like I said, I've always thoroughly enjoyed those Saturday trips. Best entertainment ever.

Much to my surprise (my big brother surprised me a lot lately), Seto insisted on taking me to school. I knew better than to say no to that! He had done that a lot in the past, taking me to school himself (well, in his limo, but that's the same thing to me), and I used to lean against him and hold him in an awkward sort of half-hug all the way to school, and then he always told me I was too old for that, but he had never had the heart to pull away from me. He'd actually hugged me back. Out of habit (it _had _been a while), I almost leaned against him again, but then thought the better of it.

"I'll be home early today again," Seto suddenly spoke up. I didn't show it, but mentally, I was doing a jumpy crazy victory dance. All that could be seen on the outside, however, was a small, but genuine smile.

"That's nice. Any special reason?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I guess I just feel like it."

My smile got wider.

}:{

_Original POV, 7.44 AM_

Even Seto himself had been surprised by his impulsive wish to take his brother to school. He had noticed Mokuba leaning towards him, like he used to do when he was younger, and Seto had almost (out of habit) pulled him against him, despite his dislike of physical contact, but then Mokuba had leaned back up again. Seto flat out refused to believe that what he had felt then had been disappointment.

He entered his office at 7.44 AM, right on time. Mika had taken care of everything, all that Seto had to do was to make sure that he looked presentable (hah, as if he ever didn't) and then to wait for the other businessmen and their staff in front of the meeting room. Mika and most of his own staff were already there.

At 8 AM on the dot, the elevators' doors opened and two groups of people came out, escorted by some of Seto's own people. Yisuba and Fujiwaka could easily be recognized, Yisuba thanks to his ridiculously expensive business suit (which was olive green and looked awful) and Fujiwaka thanks to his charismatic appearance. He actually wasn't that old, or at least he didn't _look_ old, 35 at the most. His black hair was long and put in a tight ponytail, but it looked like the man visited his barber at least three times a week. To be honest, his appearance looked pretty much flawless altogether. Compared to him, Yisuba looked kind of pathetic, regardless of how much Seto respected the man (he didn't look it, but Yisuba was a business _master_).

As usual, Mika welcomed the guests and invited them inside the room (Seto _never_ did that himself, it only added to his air of "I'm-the-boss-and-you'll-know-it"). Also as usual, Seto would be the last person to enter the room, again to emphasize his authority. One of Seto's staff members would then close the door behind him and stay outside. Perfect. However, when the last of Fujikawa's people went in, someone addressed him in a soft voice.

"Excuse me, sir, but are you KaibaCorp president Seto Kaiba?"

Seto turned around to the speaker and was then convinced that for a good five seconds, the world had stopped turning.

}:{

_Different POV_

I don't know what had come over me to take this job! You think Ken Fujiwaka is a scary guy? Then you've _obviously_ never met Seto Kaiba. There he was, looking even more intimidating than Fujiwaka-san, and the entire atmosphere made very clear that he was absolutely, without question, _untouchable_. I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but I actually started to hope that we wouldn't get that deal. Then at least I would be able to stay away from this guy.

A woman, pretty, young, very professional and, I think, his most important advisor or something, held a short speech (30 seconds long, if not shorter) and invited everyone to enter the room. What struck me as odd, is that _no one_, and I do mean _not a single person_, greeted Kaiba. Now, at the company I just left my previous job, it was almost a law for an agent to greet your next 'target', as they were called. My next 'target' was Seto Kaiba. Out of mere habit, I walked up to him, took a deep breath (he hadn't even seen me yet, yikes!), and opened my stupid, _stupid_ mouth.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you happen to be KaibaCorp president Seto Kaiba?"

The words hadn't even left my mouth yet and I already wanted to crawl into a dark corner and _die_. Of all the questions I could've asked, I had chosen to ask the most stupid one. As if it wasn't _totally_ obvious that he was Seto Kaiba. The guy practically _screamed_ authority! He turned around and looked at me. And by doing that, he quite literally stole my breath.

When looking at him from a distance, he looked scary. But looking at him while standing _right in front of him_ (!), he was (there's no other word for it) _gorgeous!_ I'm not kidding, Seto Kaiba was officially the most gorgeous, more-than-godly looking man I'd ever seen in my life. He was tall, well, he just looked well-built altogether, his auburn hair looked like it was made of _silk_ (I told you already, _I'm not kidding!_), but all of that almost managed to go unnoticed thanks to his eyes. I nearly sighed when I saw his eyes. They were blue, like mine, but much more beautiful, and they seemed to pierce right through me. I seriously thought he could look into my soul and read my mind or something like that. It was scary, yes, but at the same time, all of my nervousness was gone. There was just this… this _spark_ in his eyes that made me feel… yeah, what exactly did it make me feel? I don't even know. But it felt better than _anything_ I'd ever felt before. And as if that wasn't enough, next came his _voice_. It was so _deep_ and _commanding_ and it was as if he touched the very core of my _heart_ right then and there.

"I am Seto Kaiba, yes," he answered my question (what was my question again? He made me forget my own question, dammit!) "And who are you?"

And I'd forever thank all that was holy that I had done this so many times before, because if my body and mouth and voice hadn't acted on their own, I wouldn't have done anything. But I managed to bow flawlessly and I even answered him in a voice that was way too clear to be possibly mine. How could it be clear if my mind was still recovering?

"My name is Kisara Ishinagi, I'm an agent of the Fujiwaka Company. I'm very honored to meet you, Kaiba-san."

To be honest, I was actually glad that Fujiwaka-san chose that moment to save me. He appeared absolutely out of _nowhere_ next to us, looking very amused.

"Ah, Kaiba-san, I see that you've met my new agent. I sure hope she'll have to visit more often after this meeting." I won't lie to you, I had to swallow when he said that. Me? Coming here more often? To spend time with that too-hot-to-be-true guy? Heavens, help me!

}:{

**~Author's Note: I'd like to skip the meeting, since my knowledge of the business world about equals that of a rock. But of course they make the deal, the story couldn't possibly move on without that stupid deal, so now all the business guys are happy and Kisara is mentally panicking. Alright, moving on!~**

}:{

_Original POV, 14.57 PM_

On his way home, there was only one thing on Seto's mind, and it was _not_ the deal he had wanted so badly and that was now officially made. No, on his mind was that woman, Kisara. The first thing he saw when he looked at her, was the beautiful blue of her eyes. He had felt very vulnerable at that moment, since they'd looked _directly into each other's eyes, dammit!_ He was sure that everyone within a 20 feet radius had been able to hear his insanely fast, and most of all loud, heartbeat. Seto didn't need to think about it for one moment: Kisara. Was. _Beyond._ Breathtakingly beautiful. He'd never seen someone with her hair color before. Her hair wasn't white, but so light blue that it almost _looked_ white. Seto had been mesmerized. He still was. Throughout the meeting, he had acted on autopilot. He hadn't looked at Kisara once, but he hadn't had to, because her image had been burned in his mind's eye the moment he'd looked at her. Seto sighed. Somehow, he knew he was screwed.

* * *

**And we're done! To be honest, I have no idea what the age difference between Seto and Mokuba is, so I just chose age 21 for Seto and age 17 for Mokuba. Also, I've chosen to use the honorific -san from now on. At first, I wanted Kisara to call Seto "Kaiba-sama", but then I though the better of it.**

**Just a random thing I want to tell you: I used Namikawa (Death Note) as a rolemodel for Fujikawa ^^**

**IMPORTANT: please be so kind to visit my profile and answer the poll at the very top of the page. You help me a lot.**

**Thank you all for reading and don't forget: every author loves feedback ;D**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**I've taken my sweet time uploading, haven't I? But I have a very good reason, if I say so myself. The day after I uploaded the last chapter, give or take, I started having meetings for the school's yearbook (I'm in the commission that takes care of that), and we've had an ungodly lot of meetings, which all left me tired and unmotivated to write.**

**After that, there was the graduation stress. But that's all over now! Yep, you guessed it: I've now officially GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL! Whoo-hoo!**

**Alrighty, back to business now, shall we? There are some people I'd like to thank specifically.**

lesnuitsdhiver - Well, here's more. I'll tell you what happens next in a bit. Thanks for reviewing =)

**Eragonfan - Thanks a thousand tons! Yeah, like I said in previous chapters, Mokuba will play a big part in this story. His own emotional rollercoaster has taken off, so interesting things are starting to happen :D And I already have the ending to this story in mind, and it will be different from The Eyes I Can't Forget!  
**

**justheretoreadff - Thank you very much for the review. It made me very proud of myself.**

**yumeri - Thank you for pointing it out, I'll keep it in mind in case I'll ever write another Seto&Kisara story (Mokuba's just too cute to ignore).**

**And last but not least, OF COURSE thanks a bunch, HopelessRomantic183! Your reviews are so LONG, I LOVE them! And it will take a while before Mokuba will be able to tell what his brother's mind is on exactly, but that's all because his own earlier mentioned emotional rollercoaster.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Kisara freaks out. She now has to work together with the man she can't block out of her head. Can she take it?  
Mokuba notices that something's wrong with his brother. What had caused Seto's strange behavior?  
Seto knows that he's in for one hell of a hard time at work. What if Kisara turns out to be his downfall?  
Emiko is being introduced. As Mokuba's best friend... really!**

**I hereby dedicate this story to HopelessRomantic183. Thanks a bunch for your support!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the following characters: Emiko, Mika Koriachi, Ken Fujiwaka and Mr. Yisuba. That's it. I own nothing more.  
**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Thursday, May 5, 19.10 PM_

_Kisara's POV_

I think it's safe to say that I was now officially _panicking!_ There was only one thought on my mind: I'd have an appointment tomorrow 8.30 AM. Location: KaibaCorp. Person: Seto Kaiba, aka the most drop dead gorgeous man alive! Now, I certainly have seen my fair share of attractive men, but Kaiba was a bit more than attractive and that wasn't so bad, really, but what _was_ bad, was that he was also a bit intimidating. And the last thing I wanted was to be caught daydreaming about that guy, _by that guy_, which was, knowing my luck (or lack thereof), bound to happen!

I hadn't been able to get Kaiba out of my mind ever since I'd met him. I hadn't looked at him once during the meeting, I'd tried my hardest to block out his voice (it made me drool, so, yeah, what else could I do?), to no avail I might add, but now that the stupid deal was made, I'd have to visit KaibaCorp four times a week! And there wouldn't be that much to do for me. My job was this: make sure that Kaiba stays interested in the product (land), make sure rivals don't get the chance to go near him, eliminate them if necessary (Fujiwaka-san really said this!) and make sure that the Fujiwaka Company isn't brought discredit on _in any way._ Actually, this all meant that I'd have to stay close to Kaiba at all times and at all costs. This wasn't going to be good, I hope my nerves could take it.

Luckily, I'd done similar things before, so I could rely on my autopilot if necessary. But I could never, _never_, look him in the eyes. He'd be able to see right through me.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 19.50 PM_

I was getting a little worried by now. Seto had gotten the deal, but his trademark smug smirk that was reserved for only this kind of situations was nowhere in sight. As in, it hadn't been all day, as far as I know. And that wouldn't have bothered me at all, as long as Seto had been himself, but he wasn't and that was a problem.

Seto had been quiet when he'd gotten home, so at first I feared that he hadn't gotten the deal. Imagine my surprise when he told me that the deal was his. When I told him he was acting weird, he told me he wasn't. but it only got weirder.

He claimed to be hungry, yet he barely touched his food. He said he was in a good mood, yet he kept looking like something was bothering him and he just didn't relax. You might think that that doesn't have too much to do with someone's mood, but this is Seto we're talking about.

But what's bothered me the most is that Seto didn't take a shower. You might think: so what? Well, I'll tell you _so what_. Whenever he gets home from work, he takes a shower. That shower comes first, no matter what. He's always on a tight schedule, even in his free time, remember? Well, he didn't follow his schedule today and that scares me. A lot.

}:{

_Original POV, 23.57 PM_

Even Mokuba had noticed something was eating him. And that worried Seto, 'cause if Mokuba noticed, then _everyone_ would notice. Of course, he always let his guard down when he was at home, but it was still a bit unnerving that his usually carefree little brother kept asking him if he was alright.

Which, for the record, Seto wasn't. He'd tried, really, but he just couldn't get Kisara out of his head. Damn, of all the agents in the world, Fujiwaka had chosen the most attractive one to stay at KaibaCorp! Kisara would prove to be quite a distraction, Seto was sure of it. But distractions had often proven to be fatal in the business world. In other words, Seto was screwed.

}:{

_Friday, May 6, 8.03 AM_

_Mokuba's POV_

Imagine my immense relief when Seto acted normal again that morning. He hadn't taken me to school (sadly), but at least he was focused again.

School had started only a few minutes ago, my first class of the day being Economics. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I think it is safe to say that I'm a master when it comes to Economics class. And I'm glad I am. Imagine my brother's disappointment if I were to be an absolute loser at Economics! Oh, the horror! I desperately want a job at KaibaCorp (where else?), but then I'll have to stay at the top of this class. Seto only wants the very best to work for him, so I have to be the very best.

Emiko's pretty good at Economics, too. She's from some important business family, so I guess it's in her blood. She sits next to me, to my right, at all times. Be it in class, on the bus, or anywhere else, Emiko always sits next to me, and always on the right side. Never the left.

Emiko's my best friend, as you already know. She's pretty tall, at least taller than most girls and even some guys (my masculine pride demands me to be glad I'm still taller than her), she has long black hair that cascades down her back whenever she wears it loose (although it's usually put in a tight ponytail) and she has dark brown eyes. Emiko has a flawless skin and beautiful long legs. All in all, Emiko is a beauty. And smart, too. And her laugh sounds like sunlight. I know that it sounds weird, but I swear Emiko's laughing sounds like sunlight. Also, she's very persistent and determined. She always gets what she wants and never takes no for an answer.

People often think we're a couple, but we're not. Emiko and I are just friends. Only friends. Nothing more. We never have been, and we never will be, anything more than friends.

I notice I'm staring at Emiko. She already noticed. She looks at me, smiles, and I feel my stomach do somersaults.

* * *

**Just friends, eh, Mokuba? Heh-heh-heh... I love Emiko's character already xD chapter's a little short, though...  
**

**What are your thoughts on Emiko? And don't forget my poll. Please answer my poll, you'd help me tons!**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED"**

******Kisara and Seto meet again on Monday morning. How will Kisara's first day at KaibaCorp turn out?  
Mokuba decides to visit his brother at work after school and he wants to take the bus. He avoids six bodyguards, one chauffeur, three limos, four teachers and a dog. Oh yeah, and he takes Emiko with him!  
Emiko's father turns out to be spying on his own daughter. What will happen when he thinks his daughter has a boyfriend?  
Yisuba-san visits KaibaCorp as well. His assistant makes a move on Kisara. How will Kisara react? And how will Seto take it?**

******This chapter was too short, if you ask me. But we're in for one helluva ride next chapter, hopefully up next Wednesday.**

******Remember my poll! And also: every writer loves reviews!**

******~Lenneko-chan  
**


	6. Chapter 5

**Surprise, surprise! The enxt chapter is here already! And I had so much fun writing it! Also, I'm glad that I told you guys what was going to happen in this, 'cause otherwise this chapter wouldn't have been nearly as long. Over 3,500 words, to be more exact.**

**Special thanks to...**

**... se-tar, for adding this story to your Story Alert List. It is most appreciated!**

**... HopelessRomantic183, for yet another lovely review, this one being about the size of a small story, if you ask me xD Your reviews always manage to get me on a high!**

**... everyone who's read this story so far. Thank you so much!**

**I dedicate this story to HopelessRomantic183.  
**

**I apologize in advance for any errors.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

******Kisara and Seto meet again on Monday morning. How will Kisara's first day at KaibaCorp turn out?  
Mokuba decides to visit his brother at work after school and he wants to take the subway and the bus. He avoids six bodyguards, one chauffeur, three limos, four teachers and a dog. Oh yeah, and he takes Emiko with him!  
Emiko's father turns out to be spying on his own daughter. What will happen when he thinks his daughter has a boyfriend?  
Yisuba-san visits KaibaCorp as well. His assistant makes a move on Kisara. How will Kisara react? And how will Seto take it?**

******Thank you all for reading.**

******ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Monday, May 9, 7.34 AM_

_Kisara's POV_

I was getting slightly nervous again while on my way to KaibaCorp. Last Friday had been a disappointment and a relief at the same time. Remember that I said I'd meet Seto Kaiba again? Well, I was wrong. The one I actually met was his secretary. Remember the meeting, and the woman who held a short speech, the one I took for Kaiba's advisor? She's actually his secretary. She was nice enough, really _("Please, call me Mika,")_, but I still felt uncomfortable with the idea that a mere _secretary_ could have so much power. Apparently, Mika's Kaiba's right-hand woman. He trusts her completely. What shocked me the most is that she kept calling him by his first name (while I always kept referring to him as 'Kaiba-san'). Even at the company I used to work before people didn't call each other by their first name, while the overall atmosphere was one of informality.

It took Mika about an hour to get me to call her 'Mika', instead of 'Koriachi-san'. After that, my nervousness quickly vanished. It was amazing how much I was able to relax once we started talking as if we'd known each other for years.

Now, the reason that I met _Mika_ last Friday and _not_ Kaiba is that Mika thought it necessary to prepare me for working with the man. _Thoroughly_, I might add. She gave me a small book, 50 pages at the most, and told me I should know it by heart by Monday, the day I'd work with Kaiba for the first time. As in, that's _today!_ And do I know the damn book by heart? Well, no, because it's just way too ridiculous (although interesting). The book, which I'd at first assumed to be some sort of house rules-book, was in actuality more like a survival guide. It told the reader how to survive inside KaibaCorp, but more importantly, it told the reader how to survive around Seto Kaiba, in the event the reader ever meets the man, of course. The do's-and-don'ts, so to speak. And I found out really quick that the book focused mainly on the don'ts. Like this.

_Rule #1. Show as little emotion as possible.  
Rule #1.2. In case one _does_ show emotion, make sure to keep tears at bay.  
Rule #2. Duel Monsters is not to be insulted in the presence of Seto Kaiba.  
Rule #2.2. Nor is KaibaCorp.  
Rule #2.3. Nor is Mokuba Kaiba.  
Rule #3. Do not, no matter what, hurt Seto Kaiba's pride.  
Rule #3.2. In case one is stupid enough to disregard rule #3, run, hide, and never return._

And so the list went on. For about 50 pages! Mika told me she'd written the little survival guide all by herself over the years she'd worked at KaibaCorp. She knew every single rule in the book to be the truth from personal experience. I'd shuddered at the thought.

After Mika'd given me the book, she insisted on a little role-playing. To prepare me, she said. I just played my own part, like I was actually doing my job already, while Mika'd pretend to be Kaiba. The plan was that this little game would prepare me for the real thing. Mika focused on worst case scenarios, like Kaiba being in a bad mood in the morning, afternoon, or evening (each one of these required a different course of action), or Kaiba not getting what he wanted.

Mika had also paid special attention to rule #2.3. Seto Kaiba had a younger brother, Mokuba, whom the man loved with all that he was. Mokuba Kaiba was the second most important person Kisara would ever meet during her time at KaibaCorp, Mika said. The boy was to be treated with the utmost respect, _or else…_ Mika made it perfectly clear that an order from Mokuba was only to be disobeyed by his brother, not by anyone else. It scared me greatly how a boy, who was still in high school no less, could have so much power. Same as with the secretary… and Kaiba himself, come to think of it…

}:{

_7.54 AM_

I walked into the office that Mika and Kaiba shared. There was a second desk next to Mika's, an entire working place to be exact. Mika happily told me that it was mine for as long as I'd work at KaibaCorp. I gulped.

Kaiba came in not 3 minutes after I had. Mika had told me that wishing Kaiba a simple 'good morning' was a tricky thing. Therefore, I'd decided to await Mika's actions and to just follow her lead from there. Mika took action as soon as her boss walked in.

"Good morning, Seto," she said with a small and polite smile gracing her lips. I copied her immediately, although in a more formal way. I stood up, careful not to look at Kaiba's face, let alone his eyes (remember what that did to me last time?), and bowed perfectly.

"Good morning, Kaiba-san," I said softly but audible nonetheless. Kaiba stopped immediately. He slowly turned around, looked at Mika, then at me (I made sure to look down, but I felt my cheeks burn), and then at Mika again. Finally, he spoke.

"Good morning to you, too, Mika," he turned to me again and nodded faintly. "Miss Ishinagi…"

I mentally sighed in relief when he walked into his own part of the shared office. Mika stood up then (her smile hadn't faltered once during the awkward 'good morning'-ritual), and followed Kaiba, a cup of insanely hot coffee in her hands. I sighed once again, and sat down at my new desk.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 11.32 AM_

Class had only just ended and Emiko and I walked down the crowded hallways of the school on our way outside. Lunch hour was always fun with Emiko. She always seemed to be a quiet girl, serene, shy even, but that was just an act. In reality, Emiko knew her fair share of mischief and pranks. She always liked to make crazy plans, like going to the rooftop of a skyscraper to eat their lunch (they really wanted to do that one time, but they still hadn't made that plan foolproof yet), instead of somewhere on the school grounds. Actually, students weren't allowed to leave the school grounds without permission, let alone without an escort. That's because every single student had a family with a big house, a fat wallet and at least two limos. Ideal for kidnappers. So they had to stay at the school grounds, for their own safety.

Just like I had expected, Emiko wanted to have some fun.

"So, what're we going to do? We still need to make our Eat-Lunch-On-Top-Of-A-Skyscraper-And-Get-Away-With-It-plan foolproof. How about we do that?" she asked excitedly. I smiled, but shook my head. My friend, however, didn't miss the mischievous spark in my eyes.

"What classes do we have left?" I asked innocently. Emiko didn't miss a beat.

"Economics and English, why?" she asked. I smirked.

"Remember when I told you I'd introduce you to my brother one day?"

}:{

_Original POV, 11.47 AM_

Easier said than done. Mokuba's plan was this: escape the school grounds, while avoiding teachers, bodyguards and pretty much everyone else (every student was accompanied by at least one bodyguard at school every day, while Mokuba and Emiko had eight and ten respectively). Then, get to the nearest subway station. From there, travel to the middle of the city, and take the bus from there to somewhere near KaibaCorp. Walk the last bit, and surprise Seto. Seto wouldn't be too angry with Mokuba skipping, since he just loved the boy too much, and on his excitement high, it seemed like a really good idea to Mokuba.

However, the gates were guarded way too well to just sneak past. And there something like a back door. Mokuba almost feared he'd have to admit defeat, but then Emiko suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled towards some bushes and trees near the walls that surrounded the school grounds. Those bushes were notorious, since there were always a couple or two making out there, but it seemed the two teens were lucky. The bushes were empty, and they disappeared behind them. Emiko led her friend to a tree that stood right next to the wall. It was a fairly high tree, with lots of branches and foliage to cover them. Emiko started to climb, Mokuba following her immediately. Not good! When Mokuba looked up to see where he was going and to make sure his head wouldn't hit a tree branch anytime soon, his eyes fell upon a pair of very familiar, mostly _naked_ legs. Emiko's legs. And then, Mokuba saw her underwear. It was simple enough underwear, really, and it covered… ehm… _everything_, but it was still _underwear_! _Emiko's_ underwear! Mokuba looked down, with a lump in his throat, sweaty hands, burning cheeks, and… ahem… an upcoming _problem_, if you get what I'm saying. After all, Emiko was a beautiful girl, and Mokuba was a straight male teenager with raging hormones. This straight male teenager in question gulped. Then Emiko suddenly lifted herself over the wall, jumped, and landed safely on the sidewalk below. Again, Mokuba followed her immediately, glad that his nervousness had made his _problem_ go away.

}:{

Mokuba and Emiko almost had to ninja their way around the parking lot, where they could be seen fairly easily by the many chauffeurs who were playing some card games in the chauffeurs' cafeteria. They didn't have much else to do, really. Luckily for our two heroes in crime, the many limos provided some decent cover. Needless to say, if they got caught, they'd be in _big_ trouble.

Mokuba managed to pull Emiko back behind the limo they were currently hiding behind before she could run to the next. Not two seconds later, a surveillance car slowly passed by them. Followed by some bodyguards on patrol. The two teens slowly and quietly made their around the parking lot, hiding when necessary and constantly with their guard up. Their next class was about to start and they wanted to be off and gone before that happened.

Finally, they reached the last gate. They looked around, took a deep breath, and made a run for it. For about five seconds, Mokuba was convinced they'd made it unnoticed. However…

A very loud barking suddenly alarmed several people: some teachers who were playing card games with the chauffeurs, some of those chauffeurs themselves, the guys on patrol and most of all Mokuba and Emiko. They had totally forgotten about the dog that was always guarding the gate in a way others couldn't see it. Mokuba saw the horror in Emiko's eyes, he heard a group of people running towards the gate, and then he did the first thing that he could think of: he grabbed Emiko's hand and ran away. By the time their pursuers exited the gate, Mokuba and Emiko had already rounded the corner.

}:{

_12.24 PM_

"Sir? We might have a situation," the detective said into the intercom.

"_What is it?"_ came the voice of his employer.

"Emiko-sama just left the school grounds, unguarded. Moreover, she's with a young man, another student probably, seeing as he's wearing a school uniform. Orders?"

There was a long, cold silence. Then the man spoke again.

"_My daughter… with a man? A young man, you say?" _

The detective nodded, then remembered that his employer couldn't see that. He quickly confirmed what the man had said.

"That is correct, sir, a young man. No older than eighteen, if that,"

After another short silence, the voice gave a short command.

"_Follow them!"_

}:{

_12.49 PM_

Seto had to admit that it had been one of his better ideas to let Kisara have her working place in Mika's domain and not in his own. He'd needed at least half an hour to recover from her greeting that morning. She'd looked absolutely stunning, once again, and her behavior was irreproachable at all times. He'd found that out when he'd overheard some of her and Mika's conversation. He was very pleased to find out that it wasn't some pointless chit-chat. Instead, the women had talked all day about how things worked at KaibaCorp. Kisara had started firing a never-ending stream of questions at Mika and she didn't seem to be done yet. Mika was answering every question, always polite, patient and clear.

Seto hadn't been so busy with the company, he had to admit. Listening to Kisara and Mika had made him relax somewhat. However, his nerves were being put to the test once more when he called for Mika to go and get him some more coffee. To his utter and complete surprise (which, for the record, he didn't show in the least), it was Kisara who walked into his personal domain, took his cup and disappeared again, only to come back with another cup of steaming hot coffee. It didn't go completely unnoticed by Seto that she didn't look at him _once._ And he did not like that. Being ignored was a no-no for him, remember?

Since Kisara obviously wasn't going to do or say anything else, Seto decided to take the initiative himself. So when Kisara gently placed the cup on his desk and bowed flawlessly (again), Seto smirked slightly.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice. Kisara's cheeks instantly turned a burning red. She looked up in surprise, and that was _not_ a good idea, because the moment she looked up, Seto's scheme shattered to pieces. Their eyes locked, causing Seto's breath to catch in his throat.

}:{

_Kisara's POV, 12.53 PM_

Those eyes are going to be the death of me, I'm sure of it. Curse Mika and her little plans! And curse Kaiba's voice, that _insanely sexy voice_, for making my insides do somersaults like that. On second thought, I think I'll reconsider my decision of cursing Mika, since she chose that exact moment to walk in.

"Seto, I just got a call. Yisuba-san will be here at two o'clock, it seems to be an important matter. What would you like me and Kisara to do?" she asked, all business. It unnerved me a bit that she referred to me using my first name. Kaiba looked up.

"Thank you, Mika. Would you please make sure that the office is cleaned by the time he gets here? Thank you. As for you and Miss Ishinagi… how about you two go and have lunch? I need to make some phone calls. Don't give me that look, Mika, I can take care of myself! Make sure to be back at 1.50 PM. Now, if you'd please _go…_"

I bowed again (I'd perfected it over the years), before being lead out of the office by a pleased-looking Mika.

}:{

_Original POV_

Seto took a deep, shuddering breath when he heard the door close.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 13.04 PM_

Emiko and I were safe, at last. The subway was quite nice to travel with, and we were both very excited, since we'd both never traveled by means of public transportation. Our part of the train **(A/N How do you call that when talking about the subway?)** was next to empty, but we didn't want to sit down. Instead, we both held on to one of the many poles, trying to stay on our feet every time the train shook a little. Then suddenly there was this particularly rough shock, causing Emiko, who didn't have as good a grip on the pole as I had, to almost fall to the ground. The keyword being almost, since I'd caught her just in time. The result was a bit awkward. Imagine this: a subway, a guy holding on to one of the poles with one hand, while using his other arm to hold up a girl. With his arm snaked around her waist… and one of his legs between the girl's legs… and one of her hands on the arm supporting her… and her other arm around the guy's neck… yep. That's our situation. Worst of all: I was blushing like mad. I mean, it's quite an intimate position to be in, even if it is with your best friend. Thankfully, Emiko seemed to feel a little uncomfortable as well. I slowly pulled her up, careful to let her regain her balance and making sure she was holding onto the pole again before I pulled away, letting my arm drop from its place around my friend's waist. I mentally sighed. The next thing I knew, we were waiting for our bus, listening to some girls who were talking about this hyper romantic movie that had been on TV last night.

}:{

_Original POV, 14.02 PM_

"So, what do you think of Fujiwaka?" Yisuba asked with interest, before taking a sip of his coffee. Seto thought about that for a few seconds.

"That man has style, and he knows how to use it to his advantage. He's very charismatic and calculating. He loves the power he has and he doesn't want to lose it. All in all, I don't trust him," he replied. Yisuba nodded.

"You're right, Seto, the man cannot be trusted. I feel sorry for the poor thing he hired for this, although I guess she's also lucky, in a way,"

Seto didn't quite get it, and Yisuba saw this. His face became serious as he explained the problem.

"Like you just said yourself, Seto, the man knows how to use what he has to his advantage. It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that the man is a lady-killer. He has a different mistress every other month at least, if they even last that long. He and his wife have had separate bedrooms since before their daughter was born. A lovely girl, by the way,"

Seto raised an eyebrow at that, watching in silence as Yisuba took another few sips of his coffee.

"The thing is," Yisuba continued, "that most of Fujiwaka's mistresses are his own employees. And once he's over with them, he leave them in ruin. All of them. The only exception being his first and favorite mistress, Hasako. I'm sure you'll meet her sooner or later. That woman has more power in Fujiwaka's household than his own wife. Now, my fear is that the new girl will be his next target,"

Seto was officially alarmed by those last words.

"Kisara? You believe he's after Kisara?" he asked softly. Yisuba nodded.

"That's what I'm afraid of,"

Before they could say anything more, however, a scream could be heard throughout the building that made Seto's blood turn to ice in his veins.

}:{

_Kisara's POV, 13.54 PM_

Mika and I had taken the two assistants of Yisuba-san for a walk on the top floor (Mika used the excuse that they were merely going to 'strengthen the bonds between the companies'). One assistant was a woman, looking to be somewhere in her mid-thirties. She was quite nice, although a little stiff. My cousin would probably say she had a stick up her ass. And I have to admit, she looked like that was exactly the case.

The other assistant was a man who couldn't be much older than Mika. He was a bit slimy, if you ask me. However, he told us some very entertaining stories about his time in college. So much for strengthening the bonds between companies…

Right now, I was leaning against a wall with exactly this man. Mika and the other woman had left us to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes of silence, the guy started a conversation. It went like this:

"What's your name?"

"Ishinagi,"

"No first name?"

"… no,"

"Oh… I'm Shinji,"

"… hi,"

"So… you've been working here for how long again?"

"… not long enough,"

"Oh… I see,"

And so on. He asked about my age, my hobbies, my family, my boyfriend (and he was very surprised to hear that I don't have one, making me wish that I'd lied. That look in his eyes… I didn't like it). All this time, I kept looking straight ahead. When I turned to look at him, I almost shrieked when I found his face mere centimeters from mine. My eyes went wide, and the next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine. This time, I held nothing back. I screamed at the top of my lungs, while kneeing the bastard where it hurt most.

}:{

_Original POV_

To say that Seto wasn't pleased when he say _that guy_ kissing Kisara while cupping his manhood with one hand and holding both of Kisara's hands with the other one was an understatement. To say that he was _infuriated_ was another. And Seto would admit that he'd felt all that. What he would _never_ admit, however, was the insanely sharp pang of jealousy.

* * *

**Thank you all once again for reading. I'm having so much fun with Mokuba and Emiko! By the way, the survival guide will appear more often, Mika didn't write that thing for nothing.**

**This chapter is the longest one so far. But... this story ain't anywhere NEAR over yet! More's coming!**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Oh no! Some guy kissed Kisara! Seto, what's your plan?  
Mokuba, Emiko, you guys better watch you back, you're being followed! And not just by almost 20 bodyguards!  
As Mokuba and Emiko try to ninja their way around their pursuers, they are suddenly in need of a cover. What's the first thing that they can think of?  
With Yisuba and his assistants gone, and with Mika having a dentist appointment, Seto and Kisara are all alone in Seto's office. And it's raining...  
Speaking of which, Mokuba and Emiko are getting closer and closer to KaibaCorp. Will the rain scare away their pursuers?  
Emiko, it's your father! Run!**

**I guess that's enough for now. Please do remember to visit my profile and answer my poll. Also, there's this button at the bottom of this page that is kindly reminding you of the option of reviewing. Reviews make my day! What is there to be improved? What do you like about this story? These are the things I'd like to know!**

**Next chapter will hopefully be up next Wednesday evening.**

**And don't you worry! The exciting stuff is on it's way!**

**Thanks again for reading.**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello there, everyone. Here I am, with yet another chapter of StarCrossed! Fasten your seatbelts, 'cause this chapter will be quite eventful. The rating's gone up with a reason!  
**

**As always, there are some people I'd like to thank in particular.  
Eragonfan - Thank you so much for your review! Like I said, this chapter is going to be eventful, even more so than the last one, if you ask me. I'm also very glad that you like Emiko's character. Quite a mischievous young lady, isn't she? Your idea of locking Seto and Kisara in a room was quite tempting to use in this chapter, but I think I'll save it for later. Thanks for the idea!  
HoeplessRomantic183 - What would this story be without you and your endless and enthousiastic support? Easy: this story wouldn't exist. And that would be a shame, 'cause as for myself, I absolutely love it! Thank you tons!**

**Also, I feel the need to point out that the 'sleaze ball', as HopelessRomantic183 so affectionately called him, is NOT called Ishinagi, there seems to be some confusion about that in the last chapter. Kisara's last name is Ishinagi, the sleaze ball's name is Shinji Koda, Shinji being his first name. I tried to do a better job at that in this chapter.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's. Nothing more.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Oh no! Some guy kissed Kisara! Seto, what's your plan?  
Mokuba, Emiko, you guys better watch you back, you're being followed! And not just by almost 20 bodyguards!  
As Mokuba and Emiko try to ninja their way around their pursuers, they are suddenly in need of a cover. What's the first thing that they can think of?  
With Yisuba and his assistants gone, and with Mika having a dentist appointment, Seto and Kisara are all alone in Seto's office. And it's raining...  
Speaking of which, Mokuba and Emiko are getting closer and closer to KaibaCorp. Will the rain scare away their pursuers?  
Emiko, it's your father! Run!**

**Thank you all for reading.**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

Shinji Koda was not really a bad guy, he was just very, _very_ horny, and not exactly popular with the ladies. So one might understand what went through his head when he saw Kisara Ishinagi. Sadly, Kisara didn't like him either, if the pain in his crotch was anything to go by. Shinji, however, thought he could still overpower the woman. Wrong again! Even with her hands pinned to the wall, Kisara was still dangerous. When Shinji snaked his tongue inside Kisara's mouth, she bit down on it. Hard. Poor Shinji…

And it only got better (worse?) from there. Before Shinji could do anything else to Kisara, he felt a hand grab his shoulder with so much force that it hurt. The next thing everyone knew, Seto Kaiba had thrown Shinji against the opposite wall. Seto himself was standing in front of Kisara, unconsciously protecting her with his body. He was downright _seething_. Kisara, although panting a little, didn't look any less aggressive. Yisuba quickly stepped forward, gently took Kisara's arm, and led her away from the scene, while Mika and Yisuba's female assistant came running towards them, worry evident in Mika's eyes.

Seto wasn't done yet, however. Shinji tried to stand up and opened his mouth to say something (trying to defend himself, no doubt), but Seto would have none of it. About half a second later, Shinji was lying on the floor again, his back pressed against the wall and Seto's left foot holding him in place. It hurt. Again.

}:{

_Seto's POV_

I wanted to kill him. It's as easy as that. He forced himself on a woman, on _Kisara_ no less! That woman's safety was my responsibility, and I'd failed to protect her from this man! And failure is something I despise.

Moreover, he'd _kissed Kisara!_ When I saw that, I think I freaked out. If he hadn't pulled back from Kisara in time, he'd have lost his tongue. Literally. Damn, I almost regret it that KaibaCorp has such strong walls. I'd have loved to throw this guy _through_ one, instead of _against_ one. Well, no can do, I guess.

I grabbed the man's collar, pulled him to his feet and looked down on him with the iciest glare I could muster. I was very pleased to see that the man was about a head and a half shorter than me.

"If you ever touch that woman again, I'll kill you with my own hands. Damn the consequences," I said in a low, cold and dead serious voice. It was almost a whisper, but judging by the fear in his eyes, the guy got the message. I threw him against the other wall again, if only for good measure, and walked away to my office.

}:{

_Original POV, 14.15 PM_

Now that her anger had subsided somewhat, Kisara started shaking. She was sitting in her chair, Mika sitting next to her, Yisuba in front of her and his assistant standing right behind him. Mika had thrown her arms around Kisara and was muttering soft words of comfort to her friend, while slowly rocking her. Back and forth, back and forth.

The door opened and Seto walked in. Taking in the scene before him, his eyes fell on Kisara. They could all see the rage in his eyes, and although Kisara (who remembered her survival guide) thought that it was because of her showing weakness, the others knew better. Seto was being _protective_.

"I take it you took care of Shinji," Yisuba said. It wasn't as much of a question as it was a statement. Seto nodded.

"I'm very sorry this happened, Seto. I can assure you that the man will be punished, starting with me firing him. He will never come anywhere near Miss Ishinagi ever again, that much is certain," Seto nodded again, his eyes still locked on Kisara's shaking figure.

"Thank you, Yisuba," he spoke softly. Then he addressed Kisara.

"I took care of him. It's like Yisuba said, he'll never come near you again," he said. Kisara slowly raised her head, surprised that Seto was talking to her. And he wasn't done yet. He took a few steps forward and, successfully surprising everyone, knelt down in front of Kisara, looking deeply into her blue eyes. Let it be known that he'd braced himself beforehand! He focused solely on the scene he'd just witnessed, rage once again filling his heart and mind, it was the only way he could focus while looking into Kisara's eyes.

"I promise that I'll never let anything like that happen to you ever again," he said, his voice only just above a whisper this time and so _caring_. Even Mika was dumbfounded! As for Kisara…

}:{

_Kisara's POV_

Most of all, I wanted to cry right now. Kaiba was being so kind! He kept looking at me, worry and protectiveness in his eyes. I wanted to thank him, but my voice didn't cooperate. So I just nodded, managing a small smile.

I couldn't help but keep feeling that man's _disgusting_ mouth on mine, not to mention his _tongue!_ It wasn't in my nature to let other people overpower me easily, unless they were _really _intimidating (like Fujiwaka-san and Kaiba, but those are about the only ones).

Mika had stopped rocking me, although she still had her arms wrapped around me, which I found quite nice. I hadn't stopped shaking, but it wasn't my entire body anymore. My hands were only trembling slightly and I wasn't sure I could walk normally yet, but apart from that, I was fine, just a little bit in shock.

Yisuba-san spoke up.

"Are you sure you are alright, Miss Ishinagi?" I just nodded, this time with a more honest smile. Thankfully, my voice was back, although still a bit shaky.

"Thank you, Yisuba-san, but I'm alright, really, just a little shocked," I said, hopefully sounding reassuring. Sadly, it seemed like Kaiba wasn't buying it. That man just couldn't be fooled.

"Kisara…" he said warningly. He forcefully shook my head, causing my long hair to fly around, almost right into Mika's face (I can be a bit clumsy, alright?).

"Kaiba-san, I appreciate your concern, but I'm _alright_. Just a little shaken up, that's all. I'm fine,"

Thankfully, he let it go. He stood up, and I sure hoped that my disappointment wasn't showing.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 14.29 PM_

We'd been traveling for two hours and a half already, if not longer, and it would still take a while for us to reach KaibaCorp. Surely, our bodyguards would be looking for us right now, so we needed to hurry. It didn't seem to matter much to Emiko that we were still not there, she was all smiles and kindness, like always, with an evil grin or two every now and then. We were currently on our way to another subway station (we'd taken the wrong bus, can you believe it?), and I was silently hoping that Emiko'd want to sit down, because I wasn't sure if I could handle another scene like the one on the last subway, with Emiko in my arms like in some old romance movie. My heart started to beat about ten times faster and I was just _thinking_ about it!

I was brought back to reality quite harshly when Emiko suddenly grabbed my arm, shock and a bit of fear evident in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She pointed her finger at something ahead of us. I looked up, and my insides turned to ice.

A group of mostly men was standing about 300 meters ahead of us, obviously in a heated discussion. They were unmistakably bodyguards. What's worse, they were _our _bodyguards! Eighteen people in total. They hadn't spotted us yet, thank _God!_

"Just back away slowly," I said. We turned around and walked away as fast as we dared without looking suspicious. I was scared, I'll admit it. I'm quite easy to recognize with my hairstyle. When Emiko and I rounded the corner, just when I thought we were saved for now, I started to feel uneasy. As if watched. I slowly turned around, at the exact moment one of the bodyguards (one of mine, I might add) looked up, saw me, and recognized me. I could see his eyes go wide even from that distance and even with his eyes being hidden behind his dark sunglasses.

"Shit!" I hissed. I grabbed Emiko's hand and started to run.

"What is it?" she asked worried.

"One of my guys saw us! We have to get away from here!" I said. Emiko's eyes went big.

"Where can we go?" she wondered out loud. That was the exact question that I was asking myself.

}:{

_Original POV_

The detective snickered as he saw the boy's face go pale when the bodyguards spotted the two teens. The man decided that it was time to give his boss an update.

"Sir? The bodyguards found them," he said. The intercom truly was a nice invention.

"_Good. Did anyone notice you?"_ the employer asked. The detective shook his head, once again forgetting that the other man couldn't see that.

"No, sir. I thought the boy noticed me, but he looked at the bodyguards, so I'm safe," he said, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice.

"_Speaking of that boy, who _is_ he?"_ The detective smirked, pleased with his many connections.

"I've asked around, sir, and I have some information that I'm sure you'll find quite interesting. That guy isn't an ordinary guy. Seeing the immense amount of bodyguards that went looking for him and Emiko-sama, I decided to do some math, and the kid has _eight_ bodyguards! So then I figured he'd have to be the son of some _really_ important mofo…" (the detective's employer made a weird noise and the word 'mofo') "… and guess what I found out, sir? That boy is the younger brother of no other than Seto Kaiba,"

The detective waited for a response, a big grin of triumph plastered on his face.

"_Seto Kaiba's _brother_, you say? Are you sure, Nori?"_ the other man asked, clearly surprised by the news. The detective, Nori, nodded, then mentally slapped himself for it.

"Yes sir, there is absolutely no doubt. The boy's name is Mokuba Kaiba, he's seventeen years old and at the top of his class in Economics, Social Studies and English. Apparently, he and Emiko-sama are _best friends_," Nori took care to emphasize those last two words., knowing that his boss wouldn't believe that (he didn't believe it himself, either).

"_Make sure not to lose them. I want an update on _everything_ they're doing, and I don't _care_ if it seems insignificant! And as long as nothing is happening, I want an update every five minutes. Is that clear, Nori?"_

Nori smirked.

"Yes sir, that is very clear,"

The line went dead. Nori chuckled. Best friends, yeah, right. There was no doubt that the boy was fucking the little bitch. Hell, Nori would probably make a move on her himself if he wasn't sure that it would result in a slow and painful death. He sighed, started the engine of his car, and went after the bodyguards.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 14.40 PM_

Emiko and I had reached a park and we decided to hide there. So there we were, hiding in some bushes, while trying to catch our breath. Our pursuers were right behind us and we knew it. I was desperately trying to come up with a cover, anything that would make sure that those guys would walk past us.

The bodyguards entered the park at top speed and stopped when they didn't see us. They were talking, loudly, splitting up in order to find us in the rather enormous park. I looked around, wishing for a plan. That's when I saw something interesting in some bushes not too far away from us. I slowly and silently crawled towards the bushes. Just as I thought! Hiding between the bushes were a guy and a girl, making out like it was their last day on earth. Very interesting indeed. Hey, don't look at me like I'm some kind of pervert! Okay, so I saw my female best friend's panties, so what? What I mean is, I had a plan now. I quickly made my way back to Emiko, who hadn't noticed that I'd left her. I carefully shook her arm, making her head snap in my direction. I held a finger to my lips, wordlessly telling her to be silent and that I had a plan. I looked around. The bodyguards were everywhere, but couldn't see or hear us from that distance. I looked back at Emiko.

"Do you have another one of those elastic bands? You know, for your hair?" I whispered. She thought about it for a second, but shook her head. I sighed. Damn! However, Emiko seemed to know what I was getting at. She signaled me to come closer and pulled her hair out of its band when I did. Then, she quickly pulled my hair back in a ponytail, which changed my entire appearance, and hers too. I was dumbfounded for a second. I knew Emiko looked even more beautiful with her hair down, but it was still shocking to actually see it.

I noticed that Emiko was looking around for our pursuers, effectively snapping me out of my daze. I took a deep breath. What I was about to do might be our only chance to escape, but my heart was pounding about a hundred miles a minute. I quickly took off my jacket and laid it on the ground. Next, I hid our school bags underneath one of the bushes. Emiko looked at all this with a curious look in her eyes. She'd hardly ever seen me without my jacket. Right now, all that was covering the upper half of my body was my shirt. I looked at Emiko.

"Is there anything else that identifies us as 'us'?" I whispered. She looked at me, and shook her head. Then, she raised her hands and removed her small earrings, quickly putting them in her bag. In the meantime, I noticed that there were two bodyguards standing not five meters away from us.

"Emiko…." I whispered warningly.

"I'm here, what's your plan?" she whispered, once again coming up on my right side. I took another deep breath, my heart thundering in my chest. Thinking it up is one thing. Actually _doing_ it is another.

"Lie down," I said. Emiko didn't move. Instead, she stared at me.

"Do it! It's the best idea that I have at the moment!" I told her. She nodded slowly, having a light blush on her cheeks, and lay down on my jacket. I shot the bodyguards one last look (they were only three meters away now) and then hovered over Emiko, thereby now lying half on top of her, resting my weight on my forearms, Emiko's head between them. She was looking about as scared as I felt, and regret came crashing down on me, but I pushed it away. This was our _escape_, dammit!

As the bodyguards came closer, I leaned down, and pressed my lips softly but urgently to Emiko's. My mind instantly went blank.

}:{

_Original POV, 15.00 PM_

With Yisuba and his assistants (Shinji actually being his ex-assistant, but whatever) gone, and with Mika on her way to the dentist, Seto and Kisara were now alone in Seto's part of the office. It was quite dark, since there were dark thunderclouds outside blocking the sunlight. They hadn't put any lights on, however. Instead, they were standing at the window, both with a cup of coffee in hand. They'd wordlessly agreed to call it a day.

Suddenly there was lightning, followed by thunder a little later. Next was the rain. It started innocent enough, but soon there was a massive downpour going on outside. Seto turned around and sat down at his desk. Kisara also turned around, but she didn't sit down, mainly because the other chair in this part of the office was now located in Mika and Kisara's domain, thanks to Yisuba-san. Seto seemed to remember he was a gentleman when he saw Kisara standing at his desk and stood up, offering her his own chair while sitting down on his wooden desk himself. Kisara tried her best to hide her barely visible blush.

"Oh, please, that's not necessary, I'm alright with standing," she said politely, but once again, Seto would have none of it.

"I'm a gentleman, it would hurt my pride greatly if I sit down myself while letting a lady stand,"

That triggered something in Kisara's memory.

_Rule #3. Do not, no matter what, hurt Seto Kaiba's pride.  
Rule #3.2. In case one is stupid enough to disregard rule #3, run, hide, and never return._

Mentally gulping, Kisara sat down in the chair. They were silent for a while. Kisara kept looking at the desk and at her cup, anything so that she wouldn't have to look at Seto and trigger a heavier blush. Seto, on the other hand, didn't look at anything _but_ Kisara. But just like last time, he couldn't help but notice that she didn't look at him once. She ignored him. Again. And he still didn't like to be ignored. So he did the only thing he could do in this situation: he took the initiative.

"Have you calmed down?" he asked. Kisara nearly jumped at the sudden sound of his voice, but she managed to stay calm. She looked at Seto, careful to avoid his eyes, and smiled.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about," she answered. Seto just kept staring, causing Kisara to sigh.

"Kaiba-san, I really am alright!"

"Seto," he said, "My name is Seto. Please call me that,"

Kisara looked at him dumbly, before the words were processed in her head. She quickly looked down again, blushing like mad.

"Right… my apologies, K.. I mean, Seto," she said hurriedly. Seto frowned, although Kisara couldn't see it.

"No need to apologize," he mumbled. Kisara didn't hear him. Instead, she drank the last of her coffee and stood up to put the cup away. However, when she was halfway, she tripped over her own feet (mentally cursing her clumsiness) and fell. The cup broke.

}:{

_Kisara's POV_

Tripping over my own feet, now, that's _just_ like me! Before I could get up and apologize, however, Kaiba - I mean, Seto - was standing in front of me, holding out his hand to help me up. I instantly turned a shade of red previously unknown to men. Damn, he was close. Too close. Or not close enough, either one is true.

I hesitantly took his hand, which caused my breath to catch in my throat. Seto helped me up, not letting go until I was entirely on my feet and balanced again. At least, that's what I expected. But when I was standing again, he still didn't let go of my hand. That's when I made The Mistake: I looked up, right into his eyes. At that moment, I realized that I'd fallen head-over-heels in love with this man.

}:{

_Seto's POV_

I once again don't know what came over me, but when Kisara fell, I put down my cup and nearly _run_ towards her. She didn't seem to be hurt by the pieces of class that had been a cup not one minute earlier. I held out my hand, that she hesitantly took, and helped her to get up. I noticed that she blushed, probably because out of embarrassment. I smiled. It was quite cute, seeing her blush. What I failed to notice was that I was still holding her hand. The next thing I knew was that she was looking at me, right into my eyes. I forgot how to breathe when I saw the beautiful blue of her eyes. They looked stormy, like the world outside. I could feel myself being drawn into them, and what scared me the most was that I didn't care.

I now knew why I'd had this feeling lately that something was either wrong or _going_ to be wrong. It was because I was falling for Kisara. And for the record: I was falling _hard_.

I don't know_ how_ everything happened then, but suddenly my eyes were closed, her eyes were closed (how I know that is beyond me), my right arm was wrapped around her waist while I held her head in place with my left hand, her arms were around my neck and I was _kissing her._

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, right after he and Emiko started kissing_

As I slowly recollected my mind, I noticed a few things. First of all, I was kissing Emiko. I was kissing her for real. And she was kissing me back. _Okay…_ second, we had apparently succeeded in deceiving our bodyguards, since nothing seemed to be happening around us. No shouting or anything. The third thing I noticed was quite disturbing. While we were kissing, my left hand had sneaked behind Emiko's head and in her hair, effectively holding her in place. My right hand was lazily going up and down Emiko's left side. Moreover, Emiko had wrapped her arms around my back and neck respectively, pressing my body closer to hers. We had also entwined our legs somehow. But the last thing I noticed was that a _certain_ part of my body was enjoying this immensely. A bit too immensely in fact. Emiko wouldn't notice anything as long as we didn't take this much (read: any) further, thank God.

I planned on pulling away, but that's when my body betrayed me. Again. My tongue was suddenly pressing against Emiko's soft lips, and she _responded!_ She opened her mouth just enough for my tongue to enter her mouth, and as much as I would like to deny it, I groaned. That's when the temperature started to rise. She pressed herself closer to me and I pressed myself closer to her and then we were officially making out. I tried to dominate her mouth, but she wouldn't let me and fought me, effectively turning me on more. And more. And then some more after that. It wasn't until I dropped all of my manners and ground my hips against hers that she gasped and let me take control. And did I ever love it. She was moaning into my mouth and I was moaning into hers and we tried not to, we tried to keep it down, but we _failed_. And then we both decided that we didn't care.

Emiko let her left hand travel down my back until she reached the hem of my shirt and let her hand snake itself underneath it. The feeling of her cool hand on the heated skin of my back was _divine_. I couldn't suppress another groan. My right hand went down to forcefully grab Emiko's hip and change our positions slightly, so that I was now lying between her legs. There was no way that she didn't notice my little problem now. But instead of pulling away from me, I could feel her smirk against my lips. The next second, she grinded our hips together. I gasped and moaned harder. I felt more than heard her chuckle. She did it again. And again. And _again_. And then she couldn't do it again, because I pushed her down with all my might. I swear, if she'd done that one more time, I'd have had the most violent orgasm ever.

Emiko could hardly move now. I was dominating her and she _loved it!_ She moaned into my mouth. This couldn't go on, I knew that, but I just couldn't _stop!_ I wanted her. And if we wouldn't be interrupted soon, I hardly cared in what way, then I'd take her. No 'maybe' involved, I'd take her.

It seemed like someone heard me, because suddenly a thunderstorm started, bringing along a downpour. The cold rain on our heated skin made reality crash down on us like nothing else could've done. I pulled away as if burned. Emiko lay on my jacket, blushing, panting heavily, her hair and clothes a mess and sweating a little. And I know for a fact that I didn't look much better. We looked at each other wide-eyed. My heart stopped beating. What in the world had I done?

}:{

_Original POV, 15.12 PM_

Mokuba and Emiko walked towards the KaibaCorp building, soaked to the bone, but they didn't care. Neither noticed the car that was patiently following them.

}:{

"_Nori! What is happening?"_ Nori sighed.

"Nothing! Those kids are just walking down the street, that's all,"

"_What happened at the park?"_

"I told you everything I know. I followed the bodyguards, who followed Emiko-sama and that Kaiba kid. The bodyguards searched the entire park and couldn't find them. I asked them that myself. I waited after the bodyguards had run off, and those two reappeared from some bushes a little later,"

"_A little later? How much later, Nori?"_

"Dunno exactly. No more than twenty minutes or so,"

Silence.

"_WHAT?"_ Nori almost crashed into another car.

"Is everything alright, Fujiwaka-sama?" he dared to ask.

"_Don't let them out of your sight again, Nori, or else! I have a plan!"

* * *

_**And the chapter is over and done with. How did you like it? I really did my best on this one, especially with the Mokuba-And-Emiko-Finally-Kiss-Scene. Did I do a good job?**

**The poll's still open: how do you like this story?**

**Reviews make my day. Also, they make me work faster. Please review and tell me what you think of this story. Suggestions are most welcome, flames are ignored.**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Mokuba and Emiko finally reach KaibaCorp. They meet up with Mika. What will they find in Seto's office?  
Seto is in denial. Obviously.  
Mokuba is also in denial. OBVIOUSLY.  
Mokuba's wish comes true! Which one?  
Emiko has a talk with daddy. Who isn't pleased. At all.  
Kisara is panicking. She really has to stop doing that.  
An important rule is broken! By who? And which one?  
Oi, Nori! Who do you think you're drinking coffee with?**

**Well, that ought to be enough for now. Please let me know what you think of this story.**

**And I manage to write long chapters! Woohoo!**

**Love you all,**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi all. Here it is: the next chapter ot StarCrossed. This one was, once again, very fun to write, although a bit hard at times.**

**People who deserve my special thanks are:**

**... lesnuitsdhiver. I feel flattered :D No worries, I'm working about as fast as I can! Thanks for reviewing!**

**... Eragonfan. I like your ideas for this story. Throwing them in a closet is DEFINATELY going to happen, don't you worry! As for the automatic-locks-button... damn, that's tempting! And I'm glad that you like the Mokuba/Emiko pairing so much, I have to admit that I've fallen for them pretty hard myself. I sometimes fear that I'm pushing Seto/Kisara to the sidelines in favor of Mokuba/Emiko xD Just warn me if that is the case, okay? Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for you flattering words, they rendered me absolutely speechless!**

**... HopelessRomantic183. Again. And not for the last time, I'm sure. This time, your review made me jaw-drop, I swear! The mere LENGTH of that thing! I LOVED IT! xD I hope you like the broken-rule-thing in this chapter, if not, too bad, but it's very important for the next chapter. Thank you tons once again for your everlasting support!**

**Guys, I kid you not, when I read the reviews on the last chapter, I was so happy that I almost cried!**

**I sure hope that I've done a decent job on the "exciting" scenes in this chapter, if you get what I'm saying *giggle***

**I've dedicated this story as a whole to HopelessRomantic183.  
Since Eragonfan loves the Mokuba/Emiko pairing so much, I've decided to dedicate that pairing to her (you're not a guy, right? If so, my apologies, just imagine I wrote "him" instead). I hope HopelessRomantic183 doesn't mind?**

**I'd like to apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, nothing more.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Mokuba and Emiko finally reach KaibaCorp. They meet up with Mika. What will they find in Seto's office?  
Seto is in denial. Obviously.  
Mokuba is also in denial. OBVIOUSLY.  
Mokuba's wish comes true! Which one?  
Emiko has a talk with daddy. Who isn't pleased. At all.  
Kisara is panicking. She really has to stop doing that.  
An important rule is broken! By who? And which one?  
Oi, Nori! Who do you think you're drinking coffee with?**

**Thank you all for reading.**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Original POV_

It was crazy, unexpected, forbidden and it felt so good that neither gave a damn. They were standing in the middle of the office, broken glass lying everywhere around them, and all they cared about was that insanely good feeling of their locked lips.

But of course, without oxygen, making out proves to be quite hard, so they had to pull away at some point. And they did. Seto noticed he was panting a little. So was Kisara. What was completely unexpected was that he was blushing more than she was. Unlike Kisara, Seto had never really kissed anyone before. He hadn't felt the need to. He'd never had a girlfriend, either. He was just plain clueless and inexperienced in the love-department.

Kisara didn't mind, she didn't even know! She'd found it to be one helluva good kiss, and frankly, she'd like another one. So she unconsciously decided to use Seto's own plans against him: she took the initiative.

}:{

_Kisara's POV_

I could feel him flinch when I kissed him again, but he relaxed immediately. Who would've thought that Seto Kaiba could be this insecure? Not me, that's for sure.

His lips were warm, which surprised me a little, since I'd mostly seen icy glares in the past few hours, but don't think I was complaining! As satisfying as the kiss was, it wasn't satisfying enough. So I decided to try something. I could tell that his eyes _flew_ open when I pushed my tongue against his lips. I didn't do much more than that, however. I just let my tongue gently caress his lips. Now it was _his_ turn.

}:{

_Original POV _

Mika had only just pushed the elevator button when she noticed two teens walking in. two very much _soaked_ teens, to be exact. Mika all but forgot about the elevator and hurried towards them.

"Mokuba, it's so nice to see you again! Who's your friend? And why in the world are you both so wet?" She barely took her time to breath while saying all that. Mokuba looked at her sheepishly and also a little guilty, like a boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Ehm… well, we didn't come here in the usual way, you see…" That's when Mika got suspicious. She then looked at Emiko, who quickly bowed.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. My name is Emiko Fujiwaka. I'm Mokuba's friend. It is very nice to meet you," she said politely. Mika couldn't help but smile. The girl reminded her of Kisara with her good manners.

"Please, call me Mika," she said, while bowing slightly herself. "I'm the secretary of Mokuba's brother, Seto Kaiba. No need to be so formal towards me, dear,"

Emiko blushed a little. Mokuba had to laugh. That was just like Mika, being all cheerful and friendly to everyone. Mokuba liked her a lot. She was able to match wits with his brother to some extend and she loved Disney movies, just like Mokuba. He thought of her as some sort of older sister/friend. Too bad he couldn't see her as often as he'd like. Mika looked at Mokuba again, who started to feel uneasy again.

"So, young man, if you didn't come here the usual way, then _how_?" she asked he mentally gulped. That woman sure could be scary.

"Well, we wanted to… you know… 'broaden our horizon', so to speak, so we came here by public means, if you get what I'm saying," he smiled sheepishly. Yup, Mika got _exactly_ what he as saying. Her eyes went wide.

"You came here all on your own? No bodyguards or anything?" she whispered in shock and disbelief. Mokuba could only nod, feeling a little guilty now.

"Mokuba…" Mika said slowly, "You _do_ know what could've happened, right?" He nodded. She continued. "And you also know what that would have caused, right?" He nodded again. His brother would have freaked out if anything had happened to Mokuba. Emiko then took his hand in hers, much to Mokuba's surprise, and looked up at Mika.

"We are very sorry, Mika, but please understand that being guarded 24/7 isn't a nice way of life. We just wanted to be normal teenagers, be it only for a few hours. Don't be mad at him, Mika, I am just as much to blame myself," She looked down, looking for all of the world like she couldn't be more sorry if she tried. Mokuba, however, knew that that was only partly true. He knew that Emiko was mostly sorry that he was being scolded. The adventure itself had been… _enjoyable._ Mokuba knew neither of them was sorry about that. He looked at Mika. She seemed to take pity on us.

"Oh well…" she sighed, "I guess being guarded at all times can be tough, indeed. I'm sorry, I may have been a bit harsh," Then she looked serious again. "But you have to promise me not to act that impulsively ever again when in puts your safety in danger!" Mokuba and Emiko nodded immediately, glad that someone had forgiven them their somewhat foolish act.

"Come," Mika said, walking towards the elevators once again, "Let's go and see if Seto can take care of himself as well as he claims,"

}:{

_Seto's POV_

I _almost_ regretted that I'd never had a girlfriend. Then at least I'd have known now what the _heck_ I was supposed to do! Of course, I knew what French kissing was, I knew somewhat how it was done, but that was only theory. I'd never actually done it. It was obvious that Kisara had done it before, if her actions were anything to go by, but she actually let me choose if I wanted to do it for real now. I decided I wanted it. So I opened my mouth a little and let her tongue inside. It felt weird, to say the least, but not unpleasant. On the other hand, the funny things that my insides were doing somewhere near my stomach were distracting me too much to be able to concentrate on the kiss. When I didn't respond, Kisara pulled back. Completely. I stared at her in disbelief when she retrieved her arms from their place around my neck. She smiled, but it was a sad smile. I didn't like that.

The next moment, I'd cupped her beautiful face in my hands. The second after, my lips were on hers again, and this time it was _my_ tongue that was asking for entrance. She immediately gave in, opening her mouth. I didn't waste any more time. Her mouth was warm and tasted like coffee. I like coffee. I like her. Kisara touched my tongue with her own. I can honestly say that it felt good. _Very_ good.

I found it hard to breath while we were kissing, so I pulled away again, but only a little bit, so that our faces were still close. That's when Kisara's eyes went wide. She turned her head and looked at the door. I heard it, too. Voices. Some people were coming this way, and they didn't need to see us like this. I let go of Kisara as slowly as I dared. When the door opened, we had completely let go of each other. The first person to enter the office was Mika.

}:{

_Original POV, 15.18 PM_

Mika's first order of business was to turn the lights on. Then she looked around, noticing the broken cup, and Seto and Kisara standing in the middle of the shards, looking… guilty? Mika would also have sworn that Seto's cheeks were the slightest bit pink. He didn't look at Mika. Kisara did, smiling even more sheepish than Mokuba had downstairs. Mika mentally sighed. That man couldn't be left alone for a minute, could he? She smiled cheerfully, if only to irritate Seto (_'Serves you right!'_ she thought) and then opened one of the drawers of her desk, revealing some toiletries (you didn't think Seto was the only who sometimes spent the night in his office, did you?) and towels. She took out two and gave them to Emiko (Mokuba walked over to his brother).

"Hi, Seto!" he said with a cheerfulness that equaled Mika's. Then he noticed the glass.

"What happened here?" he asked frowning. Seto didn't answer. Kisara did.

"Oh, just a little accident. I wanted to put away my empty cup, but then I tripped over my own feet and dropped the cup, so it broke. Heh-heh, just my clumsiness," She was blushing at that point.

"I'll take care of that," Mika said, taking out a small bucket from… well, out of nowhere, it seemed, and started to drop the glass shards in it. She then turned to Emiko and Mokuba.

"How about you two go and dry yourselves a bit? Emiko, the ladies' room is easy to find. Just turn right when you walk out of the office, left at the end of the hallway, and then it'll be the second door on the right, yes? There's time for introductions after that," The teens nodded, and walked out of the office, Mokuba with a slight pout.

"Who was that girl?" Seto asked Mika, who was almost done with cleaning up the mess. Kisara was standing a few feet away, trying not to cause another accident.

"Oh, she's a friend of your brother's," Mika answered casually. Seto frowned. He remembered Mokuba talking about a female friend of his once, but it had been a while.

"Her name's Emiko, she's Fujiwaka-san's daughter. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?" Mika said. Seto frowned some more.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV_

I was having a little more trouble drying my hair than Emiko. We were walking down the hallway while trying to dry our hair somewhat with the towels Mika had given us. Unlike Emiko, who had smooth hair, my own hair was a mess.

"Do you need a hairbrush?" Emiko asked. I nodded.

"Please," I said somewhat grumpy. She giggled and took her hairbrush out of her bag. I thanked her, before attacking my hair, _willing_ it to become less messy and somewhat presentable again. Needless to say, my hair had a will of its own. Emiko was full out laughing now, her very own sunlight-laugh. She took the hairbrush from me, still giggling, and told me to turn around.

I have to admit that it was quite nice to have Emiko brush my hair for me. It took her about ten minutes, but then at least my head looked decent again. All that was left was to dry my clothes. I thanked her and entered the men's room. The entire room was empty, thank _God._ I'd feel embarrassed to take off my uniform while there's some guy watching. The heater was on, but there wasn't enough room for my pants, shirt and jacket to dry on it all at once, so I let my pants dry first. When my shirt was drying, and I was completely naked from the waist up, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Mokuba?" Emiko asked, her voice somewhat muffled by the door.

"What's up?" I asked.

"May I come in?" Now, I didn't expect _that_.

"Um… s-sure, come on in," I stuttered, a slight blush on my cheeks. The door opened and Emiko walked in, her bag and jacket in hand. Her shirt was damp. I could see her bra. I couldn't exactly make out the color, but I suspected it to be either a dark blue or a black one. And _damn_, she looked hot like that! I suddenly didn't like the heater that much anymore, since the temperature in the room did nothing to make my pants more comfortable. I took a deep breath and looked at my shirt. Shirts that are lying on a heater are not sexy. Not at all.

"Are you alright, Mokuba? You're sweating a little," Emiko's voice came from somewhere way too close. I looked to my right, seeing that Emiko was standing next to me. Like I said, she was way too close. And she was right, I was sweating. Whether it was thanks to my standing too close to the heater for an uncertain amount of time or thanks to Emiko looking way too sexy for her own good, I did not know.

"I'm alright. Just the heater, that's all," I said quickly. Too quickly.

I noticed she was having goosebumps.

"Are you cold?" I asked. It was odd, with the temperature being this high in the room. Then again, that high temperature could be my imagination. Bloody hormones. Emiko blushed.

"I'm alright," she mumbled. I wouldn't have heard her if she hadn't been standing this close to me. And _damn_ my protective nature! You know what I did? I put my arm around her waist and _pulled her closer!_ I'm sure you can imagine that it didn't help my situation one bit. But thanks to my body heat, her goosebumps disappeared. Her blush didn't.

"Thank you," she said shyly. She didn't look at me when she said that. Was she ignoring me now? Did I scare her? I put my free hand under her chin and lifted it, forcing her to look at me. She did, although reluctantly.

"What's wrong?" I whispered. I could feel her heartbeat. But her heart wasn't just _beating_, it was _pounding_. Had I done that? She gasped and pulled her head from my grasp. It felt like rejection, and it hurt. My face fell.

"Emiko?" I sounded worried now. She bit her bottom lip.

"Emiko?"

"You!" she then shouted. My jaw dropped. What had I done _now_?

"_You're_ what's wrong!" she said. The silence was deafening, if you get what I'm saying. Then I grabbed her chin again, lifting it with force. There was no kindness in my eyes, I knew that.

"Likewise," I hissed, and forcefully pressed my mouth on hers.

}:{

_Original POV, 19.16 PM_

After this very _eventful_ day, Seto and Mokuba were on their way home in Seto's limo. Mokuba's bodyguards had been fired. Seto had been infuriated when Mokuba told him why he had been so wet. Seto had then immediately contacted his head of security and ordered that his brother's bodyguards would be fired immediately. If those guys weren't able to keep an eye on his brother, Seto found them to be worthless. He was still angry, also with Mokuba.

"What if something had happened to you?" Seto had shouted at his brother, trying to suppress the want to smile at the mere thought that his baby brother had broken about every rule in the book to go and see him. Mokuba had looked broken, on the verge of tears.

"But… nothing happened," he'd said. That had done it for Seto.

"No, I know that, 'cause then you wouldn't be here! But what if something _had_ happened? Did you even think about that for _one_ second?"

Mokuba had shaken his head at that, and that brings us to the situation at this moment, with Mokuba trying to keep his tears from falling and Seto trying to appear unbreakable while suppressing the urge to hug his little brother into oblivion. That's what relief can do to you.

"I'm sorry…" Mokuba whispered. Seto snorted.

"You'd better be," he mumbled. The images of what could've happened to his brother wouldn't leave him alone. It was pure torture.

"But I am!" Mokuba cried, while the first tears escaped, "It's quite suffocating to be guarded 24/7 and to have people watch your every move everywhere you go! I just… I just wanted to be _normal_ for once!" Mokuba sniffled a bit, realizing that he had used Emiko's excuse. It was surprisingly true. His next words were whispered. "I just… wanted to come by and see you…" That's when he broke and cried. The sobs made Seto question his resolve.

"I'm really sorry…" Mokuba said in a high, fragile voice.

}:{

_Seto's POV_

"I'm really sorry…" Mokuba said in a high, fragile voice.

That's it. I gave up. I can handle pretty much everything, but _not_ my baby brother crying his eyes out. I can only have so much before my big brother instincts take over.

I mentally told all of my 'no physical contact'-policy to go fuck itself, moved over so that I was sitting next to Mokuba and wrapped my arms around him. Tightly. He stopped crying immediately, although I suspected shock to be the cause. It was only temporarily, however. I could feel that he tried to hold it in, but then he gave in and hugged me back like his life depended on it, sobbing. The fabric of my shirt got soaking wet, but I decided that I didn't give a damn.

}:{

_Original POV, 21.57 PM_

Mokuba had calmed down completely by now, but that didn't stop Seto's 'big brother instincts'. The brothers were sitting on the couch in their living room, lost in their own thoughts. Mokuba was leaning against his brother, who had put his arm around Mokuba's shoulders. Mokuba felt warm with happiness. His brother finally hugged him again.

"Seto?" he asked softly. Seto hummed, wordlessly telling his brother that he was listening.

"When we came to your office, who was that woman? You know, with that really light hair?" Seto felt his face heat a little, glad that Mokuba couldn't see that.

"Kisara. She's an agent of the Fujiwaka Company and she'll stay at KaibaCorp until the next tournament is over. Why?" Mokuba shrugged.

"Nothing, just wondering," After a short silence, Mokuba frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Seto?" he asked again, "You've never named any employee by their first name before, Mika being the only exception. 'Kisara' doesn't sound like a last name…"

"It isn't,"

"Okay, then… why?"

Seto didn't answer. His only thought was something along the lines of _Damn, I let my guard down!_, so Mokuba decided to make a guess. A very dared one, I might add.

"Do you like her?" Seto's eyes locked on to his brother's.

"_Excuse me?_" he asked in disbelief. It wasn't _that_ obvious, was it? Mokuba smiled broadly.

"So you _do_ like her!" he beamed. Seto looked away, blushing furiously. Mokuba got suspicious.

"Big brother… what did you do?" he asked. Seto shrugged uncomfortably, but didn't answer.

"Seto? I won't mind, if that's what you're afraid of. I won't judge you or anything," Mokuba reassured his brother. After another short silence, Seto gave in.

"I… might have screwed myself five times over and five times back," he mumbled. Mokuba nodded in understanding.

"That good of a first kiss, eh?"

Seto couldn't help his smile.

"That obvious?"

"Mm-hmm,"

Seto sighed, and pulled Mokuba a little closer.

}:{

_Tuesday, May 10, 00.04 AM_

Seto couldn't sleep. He'd _kissed_ Kisara! What he'd told Mokuba had hit the nail dead on: Seto had screwed himself about five times over and five times back.

}:{

_Kisara's POV_

This just couldn't be true! I'd kissed my boss! No wait, he's not even my boss, he's my boss' _business acquaintance_! Ugh, do I ever sound like a whore now.

What to do now? What would he do? Would Seto act like nothing had happened? Should I?

Frustrated, I sighed, turned so that I was lying on my back, and roared as hard as I could.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 2.43 AM_

I woke up panting, sweating, wide-eyed, and hard as a rock.

I didn't…

Did I?

Holy hell, I really…

"Emiko…" I whispered. I had dreamed about her. More specifically, I'd dreamed about our make-out sessions in the bushes _and_ the KaibaCorp men's room. Thing is: my fantasies went a lot farther then we'd actually gone (although it had gotten very out of hand both times in real life).

"Way to go, jackass!" I silently scolded myself, "Lusting after your best friend, how much of a lowlife are you?"

There was no way I could fall asleep again in this state. After once again cursing my hormones to hell, my right hand reached down, while I was trying to think about the girls in the porn magazine that was hidden under my bed. Needless to say, my mind transformed all of them into Emiko. I moaned, and orgasmed. _Emiko, I'm sorry._

}:{

_Original POV, 6.49 AM_

"Father!"

Ken Fujiwaka looked up just in time to see his 17-year old daughter Emiko stomp into the living room. She was seething.

"Emiko, please behave yourself," Emiko's mother, Saeko, spoke softly. Emiko didn't listen.

"Father, why did you order the servants to take away my school uniform? I _need_ that!"

Fujiwaka remained perfectly calm.

"Why, because you won't be going to that school anymore, of course," he said as if it was perfectly logical. Which it wasn't, at least not to Emiko.

"What?" she yelled.

"Emiko…" her mother tried to calm her down. Again, to no avail. Fujiwaka explained it.

"I do not find that school suitable for you. So I've decided to get you a tutor, who'll teach you everything you need to know, right here, in your own home. Much safer, as well. Don't you agree, milady?" he asked his wife. The poor woman had no choice but to obey.

"Yes, milord. It is much safer, indeed," she whispered. Emiko didn't understand.

"But… but… father!"

Fujiwaka held up his hand, successfully silencing his daughter.

"Enough," he said, "Your private tutoring will start today at 8 o'clock, just as if you were on an public school," The last part was said in an awfully condescending manner. Emiko started to cry.

"You have no right…" she whispered.

*SLAP*

"Milord!" Saeko cried, running towards her daughter, who was holding her hand to the cheek her father had slapped so hard. Fujiwaka grabbed his wife's arm, however, and threw her on the ground.

"Silence, woman!" he ordered. She obeyed. Fujiwaka then turned to his daughter, venom in his eyes and voice.

"Now, you listen to me, girl, and listen well. From now on, you'll do exactly as I say. I've planned everything out for you. As soon as you turn 18, I'll take you to some business parties, so that you'll get to know some _decent _young man. Before your 20th birthday, you'll marry a man that _I_ will choose for you. Then, you'll give birth to _his_ son, who _I_ will raise to be my successor as the director of the Fujiwaka Company. Your _mother_ miserably failed in that department," Here he looked at his wife, who bowed her head in shame. Fujiwaka turned his attention back to his daughter, "Also, I will personally see to it that you'll _never_ see Mokuba Kaiba ever again!"

Upon the stunned look he received from his daughter, he laughed evilly.

"You thought I didn't know? Girl, it seems like you don't know me at all! I know everything that you and your disgusting _boyfriend_ have done yesterday. _Everything!_ And I swear on all that is holy: if you disobey any of these plans, I'll _ruin_ Mokuba Kaiba, his brother, and his brother's company. After that, he will hate you forever,"

Fujiwaka smirked.

"Capiche?"

What could she do? Emiko cried. She nodded.

'_Mokuba, I'm sorry!'_

}:{

_Original POV, 10.59 AM_

Mika listened with interest to the conversation that was going on between Seto and Kisara. They tried to avoid eye contact, but failed. They tried to keep their cool, but failed (judging by their blushing faces every time they _did_ look at each other). Also, they were obviously indecisive whether they should touch or not. Be it their hands, knees, or anything, they desperately wanted physical contact, but tried to avoid it. Double fail.

At one point, Kisara excused herself to make a phone call (company update, such is the job of an agent), leaving Seto and Mika alone. Seto seemed to sigh in relief.

"Glad to be able to catch your breath?" Mika teased. Seto glared at her.

"You like her, don't you?" Mika just couldn't keep the smug smirk off of her face. Seto glared some more, causing his secretary to chuckle.

"I know you doooo…" Mika said in a sing-song voice. This time, he growled. That should have been Mika's cue to _shut up or else_, but she was having so much fun teasing Seto that she chose to ignore it a little longer. Too bad.

"Sooo, did you get your first kiss yet?" Mika asked. That did it.

"Mika," Seto said in a voice that screamed danger, death and destruction, "Today, you'll clean the 5th to 12th floor. On your own, and very thoroughly. Understood?"

Mika paled, gulped, and then mentally slapped herself.

_Rule #18. Seto Kaiba does not like teasing.  
Rule #18.2. In case one DOES tease him, watch out for the Growl.  
Rule #18.3. Stop after that.  
Rule #18.4. If you don't, brace yourself for an all-nighter.  
Rule #18.5. If you can still walk after that, go to work.  
Rule #18.6. If you can't, then run, hide and never return._

Mika mentally slapped herself again. And here she'd hope never to have to go through that ever again.

}:{

_Nori's POV, 11.13 AM_

I liked coffee, and I liked company, but drinking coffee with my company being my uncle just wasn't exactly my cup of tea… coffee… whatever.

"You look good, Nori," my uncle said. I raised my eyebrows. Nice one, uncle. _Very_ original.

"Thank you," I said. Your move, old man. The older man coughed.

"Nori, I'll be blunt. I need a favor," he said. I'd already figured as much. I'm not a detective for nothing.

"I'm sorry, uncle, but I'm on a job already," I answered. My uncle nervously combed his fingers through what was left of his hair.

"I know, I know, but… just hear me out, Nori,"

I shrugged.

"Shoot," I said with next to no interest.

"Nori," my uncle said, "I need you to keep an eye on my granddaughter,"

I frowned. Did the old guy even _have_ a granddaughter?

"And who would that be?" I asked slowly. My uncle was dead serious in his request, I could tell. He looked at me.

"Emiko Fujiwaka," he said. I choked on my coffee.

* * *

**There you go, done once again! How did you like it this time?**

**I'd like to ask you some questions (you don't have to answer them in a review, if you asnwer them at all, but you can also always send me a PM).**

**- How do you like my OC's? You know, Emiko, Fujiwaka, Yisuba, Nori, Mika, Shinji, Saeko (so far). Hasako will also be introduced somewhere in the near future!  
- Would you like me to write a Mokuba/Emiko sidestory? If so, please request a POV and a moment in time as well (like, for example, the bushes-scene from Emiko's POV).  
- Would you like to see more of the rules from the _KaibaCorp Survival Guide_?  
- Do you have the feeling that I'm pushing Seto/Kisara too much to the sidelines in favor of Mokuba/Emiko?  
- Do you have any suggestions for this story? It could be anything: make-out locations, ****_KaibaCorp Survival Guide _rules, side characters, the characters' likes and dislikes (Seto's favorite coffee brand, for example), or anything else. Just let me know, okay? If you don't feel like putting it in a review, you can always PM me, like I said.**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Does Nori still lust after Emiko?  
What is Mika planning _this time_?  
The closet scene will be there. But how do Seto and Kisara end up in there?  
Emiko doesn't like her father's plan. AT ALL! What to do now?  
Mokuba feels uneasy. Where's Emiko?  
What the hell happened between Mokuba and Emiko in the men's room?  
Uh-oh, here comes trouble. And its name? Shinji Koda.  
That your mistress, Fujiwaka?  
Kisara's twin cousins come over to visit her. "Does that guy have a stick up his ass, or something?"  
Mokuba, it's your new bodyguards. And one of them is gay...**

**So, curious yet? Thank you all for reading once again.**

**And remember: every author loves reviews. Feedback is most appreciated!**

**Love,**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	9. Chapter 8

**And here is the next chapter. Took me a while.**

**I'd like to special thank...**

**... Sinner1412, for adding StarCrossed to your Story Alert List. Thanks a bunch!  
**

**... Eragonfan, not only for the wowie-long review, but also for the many great ideas you've given me so far. I have to admit that the closet scene merely _starts_ in this chapter, but there will me much, MUCH more of it in the next chapter. I'm so sorry that I shocked you with the Fujiwaka-slaps-his-daughter-and-makes-her-feel-miserable scene! Please forgive me! However, I'll explain myself in the Interlude, that's coming right after this chapter. And the scene in the men's room will be coming back again and again, I stopped writing there on purpose!  
**

**... HopelessRomantic183, for the longest review that I've ever seen during my time on this site. Not only that, you actually wrote a _second_ review! I can honestly say that I was somewhat scared when I say how long you review was, but I'm glad I read it anyway, 'cause it made me really happy! And don't you worry, Fujiwaka's actions will be explained in the Interlude. And more Seto/Kisara is coming! This chapter will be that start of it, but I'm planning to make the next two chapters or so revolve around Seto and Kisara. Also, thank you very much for the many ideas!  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I'd like to apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the OC's!**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Does Nori still lust after Emiko?  
What is Mika planning _this time_?  
The closet scene will be there. But how do Seto and Kisara end up in there?  
Emiko doesn't like her father's plan. AT ALL! What to do now?  
Mokuba feels uneasy. Where's Emiko?  
What the hell happened between Mokuba and Emiko in the men's room?  
Uh-oh, here comes trouble. And its name? Shinji Koda.  
That your mistress, Fujiwaka?  
Kisara's twin cousins come over to visit her. "Does that guy have a stick up his ass, or something?"  
Mokuba, it's your new bodyguards. And one of them is gay...**

**Thank you all very much for reading.**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Wednesday, May 11, 4.68 AM_

_Original POV _

It had taken her hours and hours and _hours_, but Mika was now finally done. She was more tired than she could remember to ever have been before in her entire life, but all of this had a bright side as well: she had discovered something that could officially be classified as "interesting". Mika fell down on the couch in her and Seto's shared office and fell asleep immediately.

}:{

_7.08 AM_

"Emiko-sama? Emiko-sama, please wake up,"

Emiko opened her eyes, only to see one of the servants standing by her bed. The young woman was in her mid-twenties, and Emiko liked very much.

"What is it, Kiyomi?" she asked with a raspy voice. Kiyomi held up a phone.

"There's a call for you, milady. Someone you don't know, he said," Emiko looked up, the surprise clearly visible in her eyes. Then she looked alarmed.

"But… my father…" she whispered half panicking. Kiyomi quickly shook her head.

"Milord left the house almost twenty minutes ago, milady. It is safe," she whispered, and handed the phone to her mistress, after which she opened the curtains. Sunlight filled the room, and Emiko had to close her eyes.

"Hello?" she said sleepily, holding the phone to her ear.

"Are you lady Emiko Fujiwaka?" a man asked her.

"I am," Emiko said with a bit of fear in her voice.

"I'll make it quick, Emiko. I want to help you," the man said. Emiko's eyes went wide. There were only _very_ few people in the world who called her by her first name like that. Moreover, _help her?_ No one knew about her father's orders, except for the Fujiwaka household. The servants wouldn't _dare_ to tell anyone about Emiko's situation, so how did this man know?

"Help me?" she asked.

"Yes, Emiko. I know what your father did, he told me everything. If anything, it could be considered my fault that you are in this situation," the man answered. Emiko frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't tell you my name, for my own safety," the man went on, "But please, listen to me for a moment," Emiko nodded slowly.

"Okay," she said. She could hear the man clear his throat.

"Well, I was hired by your father about four months ago to spy on you and tell him about everything you were doing that seemed suspicious," he said bluntly. Emiko almost dropped the phone. So _that's_ how her father had known about Mokuba!

"Go on," she said.

"I saw you and your friend sneak out of school last Monday, and I had to report that to your father," the mysterious man told the girl, "I found out who your friend is, and I told your father everything that I saw and knew. He came to the conclusion that the Kaiba kid had to be your boyfriend. I have to admit that I thought the same. However, someone I trust told me that the boy was and is a very honorable young man, who would never do anything to your that your father would consider… _inappropriate_," Here the man paused for a second. Emiko was blushing furiously. _Oh, if he only knew…_ she thought.

"So… and?" she asked.

"Well, to say I feel guilty would be an understatement, so I want to help you, like I said. Are you allowed to make phone calls?" the man asked.

"No. Father is afraid that I might contact Mokuba. It is already a miracle that one of the servants managed to let us talk," Emiko answered, while looking at Kiyomi, who was standing by the door and made sure no one could eavesdrop on the conversation. She really wanted to help Emiko.

"All right," the man said, "Is there someone, a friend maybe, who you would like me to contact for you? It can't be Mokuba, that might get out. Your father would be outrageous,"

Emiko nodded. Well, there was someone else.

"I have a friend in Osaka," she told the man, "Mokuba knows her as well. Her name is Yori Marimochi. Could you please contact her? Just tell her what's going on. She'll be able to help me on the outside. Could you do that for me, please?" Although Emiko couldn't see it, the man nodded.

"No worries, Emiko, I'll get it done. You'll hear from me again,"

*click*

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 9.48 AM_

I'd _had_ it! Where in the world was Emiko? She hadn't come to school yesterday, and she was nowhere to be seen now. But what's the worst thing: she hadn't called me. Of course, she could be sick at home, but that was the problem. Usually, she would call me if she stayed at home for some reason or another. But she hadn't done that now.

I raised my hand, causing my teacher to stop mid-sentence. He looked quite disturbed.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to go to the bathroom," I lied. He waved his hand.

"Yes, yes, go already,"

As soon as I was out of the classroom I started to walk. The hallways were next to empty. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and speed-dialed Emiko's cell phone number. Still walking (I didn't even know where I was going), I held the phone to my ear. After a few seconds, I heard a voice. Only, it wasn't my friend's.

'_We're sorry, but the number you dialed does not or no longer exist.'_

I stopped walking as if I'd hit a wall.

WHAT?

}:{

_Original POV, 12.11 PM_

Mika and Kisara used their lunch hour to go to the airport. Kisara's twin cousins had just arrived from Sapporo to visit their cousin. They would stay for two weeks, and although Kisara would have to work, she couldn't be much happier. She knew better than anyone that Raiku and Risa could take care of themselves.

"There they are!" Kisara called out happily, pointing at two… well… 'bolts of rainbowed lightning' would be a good description for the two almost identical looking girls that were running towards them.

Identical twins Raiku and Risa had once had light blond hair, but they'd both started to dye their hair when they were only nine years old. Now, at age sixteen, they still dyed it. Raiku's hair was now a light shade of sea-green, while her sister's hair was a light purple. Their clothes (which they made themselves) were also very colorful. Raiku wore regular blue jeans with three belts (neon green, yellow and pink respectively), light blue sneakers and a bright red short-sleeved t-shirt. Her sleeveless vest was white, but her friends had written all kinds of crazy things on it with bright colored markers. Risa wore a similar vest, but she was wearing a bright yellow top, an orange skirt that ended just above her knee, three belts (hers being red, dark purple and light blue) and light green sneakers. Her socks were green (the left one) and blue (the right one). Both girls also had five brightly colored earrings (Raiku having two in her left ear and three in the other one, Risa having it the other way around).

And they were _fast_. Kisara barely had any time to prepare herself for the impact before her cousins literally _threw_ themselves at her, laughing and squealing and jumping and… Mika was just glad that none of her cousins were like that.

The four young women walked to Mika's car, the twins doing all of the talking (not that either Mika or Kisara could've interfered even if they'd tried, but whatever).

"Mama sends you the best of wishes, Kis'…" Raiku said.

"… and a truckload of cookies…" Risa added.

"… but the airport security back in Sapporo wouldn't let us take all of them on the plane…" Raiku went on.

"… so then we had to eat most of them…" Risa said.

"… but not all of them, since they are technically yours…"

"… and we don't want to have to lie to mama when she asks us if we gave you the cookies or not…"

"…so there's still some in one of our bags…"

"… as much as the security let us take with us…"

"… but they _might_ have become a bit crumbly somewhere halfway…"

"… so don't expect too much…"

"… but we did our very best to save them," Raiku concluded. Mika's jaw had dropped by then. Yes, she was _very_ glad indeed that none of her cousins were like that. Kisara smiled.

"Yeah, airport security can be a pain," she said. The twins nodded enthusiastically.

"That guy so _totally_ had a stick up his ass!" Risa said eagerly. Mika and Kisara laughed.

The ride to KaibaCorp was one of the most hilarious rides in Mika's life. The twins were just so merry and eager and hyper. Once they arrived, however, the women had to part. There was no way the twins could just walk in like that.

_Rule #9. When at KaibaCorp, always make sure to look presentable._

Kisara gave the girls the key to her apartment, told them how to get there and also that she'd be home by dinnertime.

"Bye girls!" Mika and Kisara said, while walking into the skyscraper.

"Bye Kis', bye Mika!" the girls shouted back at them, before walking off.

"'Kis'?" Mika asked when she and Kisara were in the elevator. Kisara laughed.

"Yeah, they've always called me that. Isn't it cute?"

Mika smiled.

"Yes, I guess it is. They are very nice girls," she commented. Her friend beamed.

"Oh, they're absolute _angels_, I swear," she said joyfully. Then she smirked, "Or little devils in disguise, which is, on second thought, a far better way to describe them,"

Mika mentally grinned. Evilly. Looks like she'd just found her partners in crime.

}:{

_13.48 PM_

"Well, Emiko-san, I must say that I'm overjoyed by your knowledge," Emiko's tutor, Yamamuro-san, said. The girl bowed her head.

"Thank you, sensei," she said politely. The man mentally sighed. His new student was very intelligent, but so _passive_.

There was a knock on the door. Kiyomi came in with a man following her. The man was young, about Kiyomi's age, Emiko thought. He looked… slimy. Emiko instantly disliked him. Yamamuro-san, however, looked very pleased.

"Emiko-san, I'd like to introduce you to someone," he said, while standing up and offering the younger man his seat.

"This is my new colleague-to-be. Shinji would like to be a home tutor one day, and he'll stay with me for the time being, so that I can show him the ropes. Shinji, this is my new pupil, lady Emiko Fujiwaka,"

The slimy man bowed. Emiko merely nodded.

"Nice to meet you, milady," Shinji said, "My name is Shinji Koda,"

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 15.00 PM_

I still hadn't totally recovered from the shock from that morning when I noticed a new problem: where were my bodyguards? The last group _*cough, cough*_ would always wait for me when school was over. I've always found it to be a little embarrassing to be led to the limo by eight guys who were all the size of a big wardrobe. I always felt somewhat tiny among them. Now, it isn't as if I'm very bad-looking or that I'm not well-built or anything, but I don't have arms that are the size of tree-trunks.

Suddenly, there was a light tap on my shoulder, and I turned around. Before me there was a group of eight people (again), but this time there were four women among them.

"Young mister Kaiba," the one in front (I suspected him to be the 'leader') spoke up, "We are your new bodyguards. My name is Hayate Habusa, and I'm the one in charge. Pleased to meet you, sir," Then the entire group suddenly bowed as one, repeating the last sentence. I blushed a little. Did they really have to do this while at my _school_? I cleared my throat.

"That's… that's good to hear, Habusa! So, I, eh… I hope you guys will do a better job than your predecessors," I said. Bossing these kind of guys around was always a lot of fun, whether I felt embarrassed or not. Habusa and his colleagues guarded me to the car. When I got in, I saw one of the bodyguards (the youngest, it seemed) stare at me. The next second, Habusa slapped the back of his head, snapping the young man out of his daze. Habusa got in the car and sat down next to me, while two of the others, both women, sat down across from us. I mentally sighed. _Here we go again._

}:{

_Original POV, 15.12 PM_

"Thank you for your hospitality, milady," Shinji said while he bowed. Emiko, again, merely nodded.

"Please do come again, Koda-san," she said in the same exclusive manner her father always talked to people he thought to be lesser human beings than himself. It worked. Shinji quickly walked away. Yamamuro bowed as well.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Emiko-san," he said with a genuine smile on his face.

"I'm looking forward to it, sensei," Emiko replied while bowing. She sighed when both men were gone. A few seconds later, the door opened again, revealing a woman in her early thirties. She had short black hair, dark brown eyes, and she was, well…beautiful, actually. And Emiko found her to be a tart. Her name was Hasako, and she was the favorite mistress of Emiko's father. The girl still couldn't understand why her father had to degrade his wife even more than he already did by bringing his whore into their household.

"Oh, _Emiko-chan_!" the woman squealed, making Emiko want to throw up, "My dear _baby_, you've grown so much! You almost look like a _lady_! Why, I can still remember the days that you would climb on my lap and call me _mommy_!"

Emiko felt the shame take over her body. She couldn't believe she'd hurt her mother like that when she was a little girl. But it was true. Emiko had once thought that Hasako was her mother. Her father entered the room then, seemingly not surprised to find his daughter in the library.

"Emiko, how was your lesson today?" he asked. Emiko shrugged.

"It was okay, I guess," she said. Hasako tsk'd.

"Emiko," she said, "You should behave, especially in the presence of you father," Emiko didn't miss the fact that the woman had said 'father' and not 'parents'. Hasako walked towards her, frowning slightly.

"Now, Emiko," she said, "When your father asks you a question, make sure to give him a clear answer. So, try again. Emiko? How was your lesson today?" Emiko felt the urge to gnash her teeth when the woman said that. It wasn't as if Hasako was her mother, and it certainly wasn't as if Emiko was five years old. Nevertheless, she didn't want to upset her father even more. So she stood up and bowed.

"Yamamuro-sensei has taught me well today, father," she said in a clear voice. Fujiwaka looked pleased.

"Well done, Emiko. Now thank Hasako-san for her help," he said with an evil smirk. Emiko almost screamed in frustration, but didn't disobey. So she turned to Hasako and bowed once more.

"Thank you for your help, Hasako-san," she said. Fujiwaka shook his head then.

"No, Emiko, I'm sorry. It seems like I didn't make it clear enough. Thank _your mother_ for her help," he said. Emiko froze. She knew that he meant Hasako, not her real mother. With tears in her eyes, she bowed again, be it obviously reluctant.

"Thank you for your help…_okaa-san_," she said. Hasako smiled in what seemed to be malicious delight.

"Oh, _Ken_," she purred, "Don't tease the poor girl like that,"

Emiko turned to her father.

"Excuse me, otou-san, but I have homework to do. I do not want to disappoint Yamamura-sensei," she said, trying to hide her tears. Her father nodded.

"Of course, Emiko, do that. I'll see you at dinner," he said.

"Yes, father," Emiko said, and left the room as quickly as she dared.

}:{

_16.37 PM_

Mika was in the ladies' room, dialing a phone number on her cell phone and smirking like the devil. Oh yeah, this would work out _so_ nicely!

"Ishinagi household, this is Raiku speaking," a cheerful girl's voice answered the phone.

"Hi there, Raiku, this is Mika, how are things over there?" Mika asked. She could hear Raiku squeal.

"Mika! Wait, I'll put the phone on speaker, hold on,"

"Hi Mika!" Risa said a few seconds later. Mika greeted her back.

"You girls up for some excitement?" she asked.

"Excitement?" the girls asked in unison. Mika chuckled.

"That's right. I have a plan, but it would be kind of hard to make it a success on my own, so then Kisara told me that you two…"

"… are devils in disguise?" Risa interrupted her.

"… are the living evil on earth?" Raiku added her own two cents. Mika laughed.

"Yeah, something along those lines," she chuckled. The twins giggled.

"What do you want to do, Mika?" Raiku asked.

"Well," Mika answered, "It's about that lovely cousin of yours," This caused some 'oooooh's on the other end. Followed by yet _more_ giggles.

"You see, your cousin seems to like my boss," Mika continued, "And my boss likes her back, although he's still somewhat in denial, it seems, so I thought I'd help them out,"

"Wise decision!" the twins once again said in unison.

"Now, I found the _loveliest_ closet last night, and it's my plan to lock them in there and not let them out until they _at least _admit that they are head-over-heels in love with each other," Mika informed the eager girls.

"And what would you like us to do, Mika?" Risa asked.

"Well, I was thinking that I could always suggest to them to take a break, and then walk to that closet with them, you know, go on a walk to stretch our legs, so to speak," Mika explained, "And then I could say that the lock of that closet is broken (it has an automatic lock, but you can't open the door from the inside without a screwdriver or something like that),"

"And then you want your boss to open the door to prove you wrong, push both of them inside and close the door so that they can't get out and will have to 'screw' something else," Raiku finished excitedly.

"Yeah, or _someone_," Risa laughed. Mika grinned. That sure was an interesting way of saying it.

"I see you get my plan. Now, you two can't just walk in here, so make sure to look presentable. If someone stops you on your way inside, which is bound to happen, tell them that you're there for me. They'll call me to confirm it, and then I'll come down and get you. Then, I'll take you to the closet. You two hide there, while I'll go and get Seto and Kisara. No one works on that floor and I'll tell the cleaners to skip it. If all goes well, Seto might even forgive me," Mika concluded.

"Don't you worry, Mika, we're on our way!" the girls shouted. Mika smirked.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 18.49 PM_

I woke up from my slumber thanks to my cell phone. I picked up groggily, not really wanting to talk to anyone, but the caller ID told me it was Seto calling. However, that wasn't Seto's voice.

}:{

_Seto's POV, 18.40 PM_

Great. Just GREAT! That evil witch and her little schemes! Now I was locked up in a closet (although it was a rather large one, thank _God_) with the woman I _think_ I might be falling in love with and I couldn't open the bloody door! Moreover, even though the closet was rather large, considering that it was a _closet_, it still wasn't large enough for me to be able to stay away from Kisara. This wasn't going to be good. Worst of all, Mika had somehow stolen my cell phone.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 21.49_

I woke up panting. Again. I'd dreamed about Emiko. _Again!_ Well, actually, I'd dreamed about what had happened in the KaibaCorp men's room, so it was more of a memory than a dream, but still.

"I am _not_ having perverted thoughts about my female best friend!` I told my room, although I knew that I was actually trying to convince _myself!_

_He was kissing her neck and she gasped. He bit down hard, but not so hard that it hurt. She moaned. "More!" she pleaded._

Okay, so maybe I _was_, but… but…

_Her shirt had come off somehow and now she was naked from the waist up except for her bra. He had been right, it was a dark blue one. She was panting and so was he. His upper body was covered in sweat and also in saliva in some places. _Her_ saliva. He moaned at the mere thought of it. "Emiko…" he moaned._

I sighed. This was _so_ not good.

_She ground our hips together and I almost lost it. It was a lot like it had been in the park. She did it again. And again. And then I pushed her against the wall and used my body to hold her there, looking down on her with a heated gaze. _

"FUCK!" I yelled.

}:{

_18.50 PM_

That wasn't Seto's voice.

"Hi, Mokuba!"

"Mika?" I said dumbfounded. Why was she using my brother's cell phone? I didn't even have to ask her.

"Your brother won't be coming home for a while, so just go to bed in time, alright?" she said.

"Where's Seto?" I asked. She chuckled. It was quite a scary sound.

"Oh, he's busy with his soon-to-be-girlfriend," she said smugly. I mentally slapped my forehead.

"Mika," I asked, "What have you done?"

* * *

**And thus ends this chapter, I'm sorry if the last part a bit confusing. Next will be the Interlude. Sound kind of foreboding, if you ask me.**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED**

**Seto and Kisara, you let yourselves be fooled! How did it happen?  
Also, you guys are locked up in a _closet_! What to do now?  
What's Nori doing?  
Shinji meets the twins.  
Hey, Yisuba's back!  
Mokuba, you better watch out for that guy!  
Don't worry, Saeko! Help's on its way!**

**One or two of the following chapters will be solely about Seto and Kisara, no other characters will be there!**

**Thank you all for reading and please be so kind to leave a review!**

**Love,**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	10. Interlude: Explanations

**Hello there, everyone. I felt like I had some explaining to do regarding Fujiwaka, but instead of putting it all in an author's note, I decided to write an interlude to explain everything. And I've written it as an interview. Enjoy.

* * *

**

**Lenneko-chan, some readers were quite shocked when Fujiwaka hit his daughter like that. Eragonfan, for example, was convinced that the man thought of Emiko as 'his little girl'. Could you explain this?**

Yes, I see how that could've caused some confusion. However, Fujiwaka _does_ think of Emiko as his little girl. The thing is: the man is a control freak and addicted to the feeling of having authority. By standing up to him, Emiko questioned his authority, which caused Fujiwaka to freak out. The reason that he slapped his daughter, was remind her in a physical way who of the two of them is the one in charge.

**So Fujiwaka doesn't hate Emiko?**

No, absolutely not! He doesn't hate her, even though he'd have preferred a son instead of a daughter. Fujiwaka hates his _wife_ for giving birth to a girl. But his wife was around in that scene, Fujiwaka just took some of his aggression out on Emiko.

**Then how about Emiko's friendship with Mokuba? Like HeartlessRomantic183 points out, it would've made more sense if Fujiwaka had been **_**overjoyed**_** by that. **

True. However, like Eragonfan suspected, Fujiwaka doesn't want any man to come anywhere near his daughter. At least no young and/or attractive man that Emiko might fall in love with. Not to mention that the idea of a man lusting after Emiko infuriates Fujiwaka. So when Nori told him about Emiko and Mokuba, all that Fujiwaka actually heard was 'Emiko + young man + _"friendship"_ = I'm losing my little girl to some unworthy scumbag on legs that is raging with hormones and wants nothing more than to throw my little girl against the nearest flat surface to have his way with her'. The child (read: son) of Mokuba and Emiko would, hypothetically speaking, take control of the Fujiwaka company and most likely also a part of KaibaCorp. But to Fujiwaka, that would mean that another family gains control over _his_ company. Control, remember? It's all about control when dealing with Fujiwaka.

**Well, that explains something, I guess. But what about his rant about having his daughter be marries to a guy that he chooses and bla-bla-bla?**

Like I said, the man is a control-freak. He'll only approve of any boyfriend for his daughter if he's sure that the guy in question is "worthy". So he wants to pick his daughter's boyfriend himself. It's all about control. Fujiwaka feels insecure if he's not in control, so if necessary, he _takes_ control.

**Could you tell something more about this wish of Fujiwaka for a grandson?**

Certainly. As you already know, Fujiwaka was very disappointed that his wife gave birth to a daughter, so his daughter giving birth to a son is the next best thing. Fujiwaka isn't very modern, he has that mindset in which only sons can be heirs to their father's property. He wants his company to stay in the hands of a Fujiwaka, preferably one of his own branch of the family tree. Emiko's son would still be of Fujiwaka's blood, but Fujiwaka would want to adopt the boy as his own son. It's the authority and control thing again.

**Would it not have made more sense if Fujiwaka and his wife had had a second child?**

It would, yes, but like I said, Fujiwaka hates his wife. Their marriage was a political one, arranged by their fathers. Fujiwaka started to cheat on his wife as soon as she got pregnant. Being the arrogant jerk he is, Fujiwaka was convinced that the child would be male. When Saeko had a daughter, however, Fujiwaka's first thought was that the girl wasn't his. He thought his wife had cheated on him and he even wanted a DNA test to make sure Emiko was _his_ child. Of course, as soon as that was all over and done with, Fujiwaka thought it to be his wife's fault that their child was a girl and he was convinced that she would only give birth to more daughters, so he didn't even bother trying for a son as a second child.

**But Emiko's grandfather doesn't seem to be the kind of man to give his daughter away in an arranged marriage.**

It's all about politics! The marriages of Emiko's grandparents were arranged as well. It's the power of tradition. The marriage of Saeko to Fujiwaka ensured a lot of benefits for both companies, so their parents agreed to it.

**What about Nori? Emiko is related to him.**

Yes, that's true. However, Nori is of one of the side branches of Saeko's family tree. Therefore, he's not bound to the family traditions. Plus, let's face it, Nori is somewhat the black sheep of the family.

**How come that he didn't know that Emiko is his relative?**

He has only limited contact with his family. Plus, there's Fujiwaka. He'd never let a family's black sheep near his daughter. Nori isn't of a high enough rank.

**Then there's Hasako…**

Quite a bitch, isn't she? Yes, she's Fujiwaka's favorite mistress and will stay with him for all of their lives, by the looks of it. Fujiwaka wants to hurt his wife and the best way to do that is by taking Emiko away from her and having the little girl call Saeko's husband's mistress "mommy".

**How did Emiko find out that Saeko is actually her mother?**

The girl's very smart. As she got older, she figured it out for herself.

**How's the bond between Emiko and her mother?**

They love each other with a passion and Saeko is also secretly happy that he daughter is good friends with Mokuba, but they are afraid to show affection because of Fujiwaka.

**Something else, Lenneko-chan. You always try to update this story daily. However, it seems like you won't be able to be back with a new chapter tomorrow.**

Yes, that's right. I have to go to an important meeting tomorrow regarding the school's yearbook and I'll also be going to a graduation party. Plus, my mom ordered me to clean up the mess that I call my room.

**Then when can we expect your next installment?**

That would be Sunday evening at the latest, as long as nothing unexpected comes up.

**Last question: what should your readers do if they have any other questions about this story that we failed to ask you?**

In that case they can always leave a review with their questions OR they can PM me, and then I'll answer their questions as soon as possible. Also, there might be other interludes with explanations and the like.

**Lenneko-chan, thank you very much for your time.**

Not a problem, come back anytime.

* * *

**I sure hope to have made things clearer. See you in the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 9

**I've taken a break, but now I'm back, **o**with yet another chapter of StarCrossed. I hope the Interlude explained some things, and I'm sorry that Fujiwaka is such a Gozaburo Kaiba clone, I didn't notice that at all O.o**

**Some special thanks:**

**Eragonfan - You scared me a little with your anger, although I understand. Nevertheless, Thanks a lot for your reviews. Oh, and thanks for the food idea, I have to admit that I forgot.  
**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad that the Interlude helped. Thanks again for reviewing.**

**Lol, my mom actually wants to read this too, so I gave her the link this morning and now I'm scared of what she'll think of it ^_^'**

**This story is dedicated to HopelessRomantic183.  
The couple Mokuba/Emiko is dedicated to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the OC's.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Seto and Kisara, you let yourselves be fooled! How did it happen?  
Also, you guys are locked up in a _closet_! What to do now?  
What's Nori doing?  
Shinji meets the twins.  
Hey, Yisuba's back!  
Mokuba, you better watch out for that guy!  
Don't worry, Saeko! Help's on its way!**

**Thank you all for reading!**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Original POV, 19.00 PM_

Situation: there's a closet, and there's a young man and a young woman inside of that closet. The man and woman are attracted to one another (read: they're in love and too chicken to admit it), and they can't get out of the closet, since it's locked from the outside. And there's no other living soul to be found on the entire floor, thanks to the little minxes who locked them up in the closet. The couple can't communicate with the outside world, and they have no idea how long they're going to stay locked up. There's one water bottle (one liter) and three apples. Conclusion: they want to get out of there, and fast.

One might be wondering how Seto and Kisara ever ended up in this situation. For that, we'll have to go back in time for a little bit.

}:{

_Mika's POV, 17.45 PM_

I got a call from security.

"Director's office, this is Koriachi speaking," I said.

"_Koriachi-san, we have two girls here who say you are expecting them. Orders?"_ I smirked. Well done, twins.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute," I told the man.

"_Yes, ma'am!"_ The line went dead and I got up from my chair. Kisara looked up with a curious look.

"What girls?" she asked. I smiled at her.

"Oh, I was late this morning, so I asked my neighbor if she could please make me something for dinner. I usually do that myself and then eat it here at work, but like I said, I was late. She said her daughters would come by to bring it to me," I lied. Kisara nodded.

"That's some neighbor you have, Mika," she said.

"Indeed. Please excuse me. I'll be back in a minute, Seto!" I called out to my boss, who merely nodded without looking up from his computer screen.

When I got out of the elevator on the ground floor, I spotted the twins immediately. They looked decent, indeed. They both wore a dress that ended just below their knees and had short sleeves. Raiku, the twin with the sea-green hair, was wearing a dark blue dress and her sister, with the light purple hair, wore a light yellow one. They both wore brown-leather boots that looked an awful lot like cowboy boots, but it matched their outfits very well. Both girls also wore a headband in colors similar to their dresses'. They didn't look much like the chaotic girls I had met at the airport. They'd done their best.

I smiled at them and waved. The girls did the same, only with much more chaotic enthusiasm, and walked up to her. I beckoned to the guards that it was okay, and the men let them go.

I took the girls to the back of the building, where there were more elevators, and took them to the 10th floor.

"I took you two in the direction of the cafeteria," I explained, "That way, everyone down there will think we're going there to have a cup of coffee or whatever, and they won't get suspicious. The elevator in the back of the building are usually used by the cleaners, but they won't get here before eight o'clock or so,"

As we reached our floor, I took the twins to the closet I'd found. We all looked inside. The closet was in actuality more like a small room. There were some shelves and boxes. Perfect.

"Looks great," Risa said. Raiku walked in and put down a small plastic bag in a corner. I gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, just a little something we took with us. Water and some apples, that way, they won't starve," Raiku explained. Risa looked inside the closet again, biting her lower lip. She turned to me.

"Won't they get cold tonight? Should we leave a blanket or something?" she asked. We thought about it for a moment. Then we grinned.

"Naaaaaaah!" Risa sing-songed. Her sister giggled. I merely smirked.

"Alright," I said, "You girls just hide here while I'll go and get those two just wait for the right moment and do your thing," Risa and Raiku nodded fervently and dashed away. As for myself, I went upstairs again to the office.

}:{

_Original POV_

"Is everything alright?" Kisara asked when Mika came in, "You were gone for almost half an hour," Mika shook her head.

"It's all fine, I put the food in the refrigerator in the cafeteria," she said. Then she turned to Seto.

"Say, we've been busy all day now, how about we take a break?" she suggested innocently. Kisara nodded.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Seto, however, shook his head.

"No, thank you, Mika, I'm busy," he said. Mika mentally cursed. That man just couldn't cooperate, could he?

"But you're _always_ busy! That can't be healthy! Come on, let's get out of here for a little while and stretch our legs, okay?" she tried. But Seto stayed right where he was.

"The two of you can go," he said, and kept typing away on his laptop. Mika sighed and turned to Kisara.

"Kisara, how about you try it? I'm losing my patience with that guy," she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder in her boss' direction, who could hear everything and send her a glare, which she ignored. Kisara gulped.

"But Mika, if he doesn't want to…" she tried. Mika would have none of it.

"Nonsense, nonsense," she chirped happily, "I'm sure he'll listen to you. I'm just way too bossy, yes, that must be it. Come one, Kisara, don't you agree that working too much is unhealthy?" The light-haired woman slowly nodded. Mika smirked inwardly. Bingo. Kisara turned to Seto.

"I guess Mika does have a point, Seto. Come with us, please? Five minutes won't hurt, right?" Mika just kept smiling. _Very good, Kisara, just keep that up_, she thought. Seto stopped typing and sighed. Once more: bingo.

"All right," he said, "Five minutes,"

Mika could only smirk while the trio walked down the hall, glad that the other two couldn't see it as she was walking right in front of them. Oh yeah, the man had so _totally_ fallen for Kisara! Suddenly, she hid her smirk and turned around.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Seto, there's this closet on the 10th floor that wouldn't open last night," she said sweetly. Seto frowned.

"What closet, Mika?" he said.

"Oh, it is a storage closet for the cleaners. It had an automatic lock, but it wouldn't open,"

Seto raised his eyebrows.

"And you think I can help, why?" he asked slowly. Mika sighed.

"Well, don't you have this little device that can open each and every automatic lock in the building?" she asked. Seto nodded.

"Yes," he said and took said device out of his pocket. He threw it and Mika caught it.

"Here you go, go see if it works," the man said. Mika grew more and more impatient by the minute. Why was that guy so _stubborn_?

"How about we go there now, see if it works, and then come back here and get back to work?" Kisara suddenly interrupted. Mika looked as if someone had just told her that she'd won the lottery._ Thank you, Kisara!_, she mentally screamed. Things were working out quite nicely after all. Seto once again sighed, giving in immediately.

"Alright, alright!" he growled. He snatched the device out of Mika's hands and walked away.

"So, where to?" he asked Mika while looking over his shoulder.

}:{

_10th floor, Raiku's POV, 18.30 PM_

"Where's Mika?" Risa wondered out loud while pacing in front of me. We were getting impatient.

"I don't know, maybe she's having trouble persuading them?" I suggested. My sister stopped pacing back and forth and sighed. I started turning around my pocketknife between my fingers. One turn, two turns, five turns. After the fourteenth turn I stopped and listened.

"Hide!" I whispered urgently, putting the pocketknife in my sock. It was now unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. We dashed around the corner just in time. A few seconds later, Mika, her boss and our cousin rounded the other corner, walking towards the closet. My sister and I carefully peeked. Half a second later, our identical jaws silently dropped in perfect unison. No wonder our cousin had the hots for that guy! He was soooo cute! We saw the man take a small device out of his pocket. He pushed a small button. To the trio's surprise, the door didn't open. Risa and I beamed at one another. Thank you, God, for the invention of the pocketknife! Risa and I had taken out the small panel with small numbered buttons, after I'd cut the wires that were connected to the automatic lock and the sensor that was used for the device. The only way to open the door now was with the password, which we now knew thanks to Risa's hacking skills. Of course, we hadn't told Mika, but we'd figured she'd like the idea. We than saw Mika's boss push some of the buttons on the panel, which we'd put back just the way it was. My sister and I looked at each other with identical wicked grins.

"On three," Risa whispered, "One…"

}:{

_Mika's POV, 18.35 PM_

It would be a huge understatement to say that I was surprised when the door _really_ didn't open. What had those girls done? Seto frowned.

"Hmm, I guess that won't work then," he said while putting the device away.

"How do we open it, then?" Kisara asked.

"There are two ways to open these doors," Seto explained, "One is with a device, but there's also a password, consisting only of numbers," He then turned around. "Luckily, I know the password, so we'll see if that works,"

Kisara and I nodded. Seto turned around and pushed some of the buttons. As I counted the small beeps that erupted from the small panel, my eyes grew wide. One, three, seven, eleven. All in all, the password consisted of fourteen numbers. Fourteen! And this man knew the entire password?

The door opened at once. At the same time, we heard a loud "THREE!" and I was once again surprised by the speed of the twins, who dashed forward from around the corner. I used the confusion on both Kisara's and Seto's faces to our advantage, grabbed Kisara's arm, and all but _threw_ her towards the open door. I saw that Risa slowed down at the last moment, while Raiku used all of her weight to crash into her cousin (who was standing in front of Seto) and push the couple all the way inside. Risa caught her sister's arm and yanked her back before either Seto or Kisara could recover. I quickly pushed a small button… and the door closed.

}:{

_Original POV, 18.42 PM_

Mika and the twins high-fived each other.

"Well done, girls! Mission accomplished!" Mika beamed. Risa, however, shook her head.

"Not yet!" she said, while Raiku pulled her pocketknife out of her sock and used it to take out the small panel. Risa kneeled down with the panel and a small computer-like device with an equally small keyboard on it. She started typing frantically, while Raiku gave the door a strange look.

"Why can't we hear anything?" she asked Mika.

"Soundproof," Mika answered shrugging.

"Done!" Risa said, pulling her small computer in her sock, while her sister went to work to put the panel back in place.

"What did you do?" Mika asked her. Risa smiled evilly.

"I changed the password," she grinned, "It _used_ to be 25-10-07-07-42-15-12, _now _it's 11-09-19-01-18-01-00,"

Mika gave her look that said that she didn't understand. The girls laughed.

"It's Kis' name!" they said in unison, "The letter "K" is the 11th letter in the alphabet! But since "Kisara" had six letters, the last two numbers are 00!" Mika slowly nodded.

"I see," she mumbled. Then she looked up.

"So, how about we call it a day? I know a simply _lovely_ little Italian restaurant. It's close to Kisara's place, we should tell her about it later. You girls hungry?" she said smiling.

"Yes, let's do that!" the twins all but shouted. Mika laughed, while taking a cell phone out of her pocket and dialing Mokuba's cell phone number.

}:{

_Closet, 19.00 PM_

And thus the couple ended up in the closet. They had recovered from the shock by now and were both thinking of a way out. At least, _Kisara_ was thinking of a way out (while wondering how her twin cousins had ended up at KaibaCorp), while Seto was simply furious. His secretary had locked him in a storage closet, along with the woman he was more attracted to more than could possibly be good for him, and moreover, Mika had stolen his cell phone!

The two had soon discovered the small plastic bag and its contents. Both had mentally gulped at the realization that they would have to share the bottle. There were no cups.

There were also no blankets or anything, and Kisara had left her jacket upstairs, and the fabric of her shirt was rather thin. This could get chilly.

}:{

_Osaka, 19.04 PM_

Yori Marimochi loved music. Although her parents often complained, she turned the volume almost to the maximum every time she turned her radio on. Thus it is understandable that it took her almost 30 seconds to notice that her cell phone was ringing. She turned the radio off and picked up her phone.

"Hello, this is Yori," she said. When the other person answered, she didn't recognize the voice. It was a man.

"Are you Yori Marimochi?" the man asked.

"Yes,"

"Do you know a girl named Emiko Fujiwaka?" the man went on. Yori raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Excuse me, sir, but who are you? And how did you get the number of my cell phone?" she asked. She could hear the man sigh.

"I can't tell you my name, but I can assure you that I am a friend. As for the phone number, I know how to trace a cell phone, although it took me an awfully long time to find you in the database," he answered, "I am a cousin of Emiko's mother, do you know Emiko?"

Yori bit her lip.

"Yes, I know her, we used to be classmates before I moved to Osaka," she said hesitantly.

"Good," the man went on, "She asked me to contact you,"

Yori raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? But why couldn't she do so herself, then?" she asked.

"I'll tell you in a bit. But before I do that, I have to ask you another question or two. First: do you know Mokuba Kaiba?"

Now Yori really didn't get it. What did Mokuba have to do with this?

"Yes, I know him," she said, "Mokuba is an ex-boyfriend of mine," She thought she could hear the man swallow.

"Oh… really? Well, that's interesting. Are you on good terms with both Emiko and Mokuba?" the man asked.

"Yes,"

"Good! Alright, then I'll tell you what's happened here. You see, Emiko's father…"

}:{

_Domino City, 21.49 PM_

Shinji walked down the street on his way to a local club when he saw two rather extraordinary girls: our beloved twins, Raiku and Risa. Or, in Shinji's mind, fresh meat. He immediately went after them

The girls spotted him easily.

"Look, Raiku! Isn't he slimy?" Risa commented. Raiku looked at the man that was coming towards them as a predator with his prey in sight.

"He sure is icky," she said, while making a face that screamed "disgust". Little did the girls know that the man had been charged for sexual harassment by at least seven women and three of the companies he'd worked at. The sleaze ball, however, always seemed to manage to sneak his ass into yet another job. Also, Shinji was on the run at the moment, since Yamamura-san had caught him trying to force himself on a student while the sensei himself had gone to the bathroom for a moment. He had chased Shinji for almost fifteen minutes before he's grown too tired. Little did _Shinji_ know who we was dealing with when he halted in front of the girls.

"Hello there, ladies," he said in what was supposed to be a seductive voice. Too bad it made every woman wince in disgust.

"Hi…" the girls responded while slowly backing away. Shinji didn't quite get the hint.

"So, you two all alone around this dangerous neighborhood?" the man asked.

"I doubt it was dangerous before you joined it," Risa said coolly. Shinji grimaced, Raiku mentally applauded. Touché.

Before the man could freak the girls out even more, he suddenly spotted a police vehicle. He paled visibly, before turning his attention to the girls once more.

"You didn't see me," he said, before running away. The twins raised their identical eyebrows, while the police vehicle stopped next to them.

"Excuse us, girls," one of the men inside asked, "Do you happen to have seen this man?" He held up a photo of Shinji. The girls looked at each other with blank expressions on their faces, before looking at the officer again and pointing in the direction in which Shinji had taken of, all of this in perfect unison.

"That way," they said.

"Thank you," the officer said, and the car took off at high speed.

}:{

_Mokuba's POV, 20.13 PM_

The bodyguard who'd stared at me at school was now officially freaking me out. It had happened again today. Every time I saw him, he was staring at me. Luckily, every time he did, one of his colleagues would slap him in some way or another. But that didn't make it any less scary.

I was surprised at Mika's bold move and I doubted she could've pulled it off without the help of the cousins of Kisara. Nevertheless, I agreed that Seto had been alone long enough now. I wondered if the plan would work. After all, I knew better than anyone how stubborn my older brother could be.

I was snapped out of my daze by the phone. Not my cell phone, but the 'normal' phone. I picked up.

"Yes?"

"Mister Kaiba? There's a call for you from Osaka," security informed him. That's why I preferred cell phones: more privacy. I frowned. Did I even _know_ anyone in Osaka?

"That's okay," I told the man on the other end of the line. There was a soft _click_.

"Hello?" I said again. I almost tripped over my own feet in surprise when I heard the voice on the other end.

"Mokuba, is that you? It's Yori. I have something very important to tell you,"

Yori? I mentally slapped myself. Hard. And again. Harder. How on earth had I forgotten? My ex-girlfriend had moved to Osaka.

"Oh, hi Yori. How've you been?" I asked. What did you say to an ex-girlfriend?

"Fine, thank you, but that's not the point," she answered. She was all business. What could be so urgent?

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"There's something you need to know about Emiko," I froze. Emiko?

"What about her?" I asked.

"She's in trouble," Not, _that_ got my full attention. Yori went on before I could ask anything.

"It's her father. He has taken her cell phone and all but locked her up in the house. She's being guarded 24/7 and she even has a home tutor. She's not allowed to go out of the house, except in the presence of either her father or her father's mistress,"

That surprised me. All of it, but especially the last part.

"Then what about her mother?" I asked.

"She's not allowed to be alone with her mother," Yori explained, "It seems like her father wants her to marry a man of his choice in a year or two and raise their son as his own. The man's a lunatic!"

I could only agree while I tried to control my insides, but to no avail. The story had turned my entire being to ice. Yori wasn't done yet.

"Mokuba, listen to me! I'll be in Domino City in two days! I'll contact you then! What's your cell phone number?" I told her, noticing that my voice didn't sound like my own.

"Yori… how do you know all this?" I managed to ask.

"A relative of Emiko, her mother's cousin to be exact, managed to talk to Emiko. She told him to contact me. The guy told me everything. He'd been hired by Emiko's father to spy on her. It wasn't until his uncle, Emiko's grandfather, approached that he knew who Emiko is! That she's a relative of his! Emiko's grandfather also knows all this and wants to get Emiko and her mother, who is his daughter, out of that house. But he can't do that on his own, he needs other people to know about it as well,"

I nodded, partly in understanding, and partly because I knew where the feeling of being watched had come from last Monday. We had been followed.

"Okay, so what can I do?"

"Nothing for the time being," Yori said, "Just wait for my call, and then we'll think of something," Then she paused.

"Mokuba?"

"Yes?"

"What is Emiko to you?"

I mentally groaned. I could've seen this one coming. I sighed, finally admitting what I already knew.

"I… I'm in love with her,"

I could almost _hear_ Yori smile.

"Good,"

}:{

_Mika's POV, 20.19 PM_

Seto's cell phone went off and, being his secretary after all, picked up.

"Ah, Yisuba-san!" I exclaimed once I knew who it was. I could the man was dumbfounded.

"Mika? What are you doing with Seto's cell phone?" he asked. I smirked.

"Seto isn't available at the moment, would you like me to pass a message?" I asked.

"Well, no, it's rather.. personal," I frowned. This was something serious.

"Yisuba-san, I can assure you that I will tell him as soon as possible," I told the man.

"I don't doubt that, Mika," Yisuba answered, "But it's about his brother,"

}:{

_Original POV, 22.58 PM_

It had gotten cold and Kisara was now openly shivering. She'd tried to hide it at first, but there was no stopping it. Seto, who was wearing his ever-present coat, wasn't cold at all.

They had been here for some hours now and they hadn't said more than ten words each. They'd spent those hours at opposite ends of the room/closet, trying desperately to stay away from each other and thereby trigger… _something_. However, as said, Seto was a gentleman, and seeing a lady in need was something he couldn't handle easily. So he sighed, took off his coat, walked over to Kisara, and held it out in front of her.

"Here," he said, "It'll keep you warm,"

Kisara looked at him, but didn't take the coat. Seto cursed under his breath.

"Dammit, woman, just take the damn thing!" he said. Kisara hesitantly took it, but didn't put it on.

"Won't you get cold?" she asked with slight concern evident in her voice. Seto shook his head.

"I can have it," he said, before turning around and walking back to the opposite wall. Kisara thought about it, biting her lower lip. Then, she firmly threw the coat in a corner. The two locked eyes, his filled with curiosity, hers filled with certainty.

"I don't want you to get cold because of me," she said in a clear voice. Seto all but gaped at her, before smiling a little. She really was something. He walked over to his coat and picked it up. He seemed to be thinking about something. Then he turned around again and sat down, before hesitantly holding out his arm towards Kisara. She looked at him questioningly.

"Come here," he said. Kisara hesitated, stood up and walked over to sit next to him, although she kept her distance. That is, until Seto put his arm around her a pulled her close. _Very_ close. They both blushed, and they didn't look at one another.

"Then I guess we'll keep each other warm," Seto mumbled. They both smiled, although they didn't notice it.

* * *

**There. The closet scene is taking shape now.**

**How did you like the password thing? Also, the original password (Seto's) isn't just a random collection of numbers, there's actually a meaning behind them. Can you guess the meaning?**

**NEXT TIME IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Seto and Kisara in the closet. That's it.  
**

**Yeah, that's it. The next chapter will revolve solely around the main couple. So...**

**YET TO COME IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Yori arrives in Domino City.  
Emiko, look who's coming over to visit you!  
Dinner at Fujiwaka's. Who are attending and who are they bringing along?  
There's a business trip coming up.**

**Thanks to those who've given me some awesome ideas: Eragonfan and HopelessRomantic183.**

**Also: I'm thinking of drawing Raiku and Risa, I really adore them. I'll put the link in an author's note when I'm done.  
**


	12. Chapter 10

**It took me a little longer than I would have liked, but the chapter is DONE! A chapter I think more than a few of you have been waiting for: Seto and Kisara in the closet! This chapter revolves around them, and it won't be until the very end of the chapter that you'll see some other characters. I did my very best writing this chapter, and I hope I've done a good job.**

**As always, there are some people I'd like to thank in particular…**

… **Dinah Nuzzler - Thank you so much for adding this story to your Story Alert List! It is very much appreciated!**

… **PK Phoenix - Thank you for the review, it made me totally jumpy and hyper aka: insanely happy! Thanks for the many compliments and don't you worry, I really didn't expect anyone to get the meaning of Seto's password, you'd have made me jawdrop if you'd gotten the meaning behind it. I'll explain it in the author's note at the bottom.**

… **Eragonfan - You made me smile one of my biggest smiles EVER with your last review! I can't recall anyone calling one of my stories 'my favorite fanfiction story of all time'. Thank you SOOOOOOOO much! *hug* Heh-heh, I guess I got carried away for a moment ^_^' And no worries. More Mokuba/Emiko****is on the way!**

… **HopelessRomantic183 - For another **_**fabulous**_** review, thank you. And indeed, a major rescue mission is taking more and more shape in my head, but I won't get to it just yet, please be patient for a little while longer. And I'm glad to have made you happy with this chapter revolving around the main couple. I sure do hope to live up to your expectations.**

**_Edit_**

**I just saw a 2nd review from HopelessRomantic183 (thanks, by the way), and DAMN, you got close! You were _almost_ there! Well done! No, really, respect! I'll explain the code in the bottom author's note. Thank you once again, both for the review and the effort.**

**_End edit_**

**_Edit 2_**

**I _also_ only just noticed Eragonfan's 2nd review (you, too, thanks very much). Indeed, the 42 is a bitch, but I did that on purpose, ontherwise, the code wouldn't work out just fine. And no worries, Ill draw those two and put them online as soon as possible, but since I love them so much, I'll be bitching myself an awful lot over that drawing to get it right. But I'll try my best! Thanks again for the support!**

**_End edit 2_  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Seto and Kisara in the closet. That's about it.**

**Thank you all very much for reading.**

**ENJOY!

* * *

**

_Thursday, May 12,1.46 AM_

_Original POV_

Seto woke up in the middle of the night with one hell of a headache. It was as if someone had been pinching his brains really hard for a long time. Seto wanted to get up, so that he could get to the water bottle, but then he noticed that something was preventing him from doing so. Or rather _someone_. It took Seto about five seconds to remember why Kisara was sleeping next to him, leaning against him, encircled by _his_ arms. The sixth second, he started blushing.

Fortunately, the young woman just kept sleeping, and Seto started to relax a bit. He sighed. This was one fucked up situation his was in. Bloody secretary and her minxy little… _minxes!_ Another sigh. His tiredness and frustration were obviously getting the better of him. Seto tried to go back to sleep, since he would only wake Kisara up by standing up, but his headache wouldn't let him.

All of a sudden, Seto's problem solved itself as Kisara gasped and sat upright, wide-eyed and panting. She looked around frantically, but relaxed when she saw Seto, who was now standing against the wall while holding the opened water bottle (the bottle had hardly been touched since the couple had been locked up, since both Seto and Kisara were afraid to drink from it first. It was some sort of indirect kissing to share the bottle).

"Is everything alright?" Seto asked, keeping his usual cool (although he was slightly worried). Kisara nodded shakily.

"Y-yes," she said, "Just… just a nightmare, that's all,"

Seto took another sip of water. His headache was slowly starting to vanish. Kisara watched, then cleared her throat.

"Ehm… can I… may I have some water, too?" she asked blushing. Seto looked at the bottle and mentally gulped. Then he shook his head. This was ridiculous! It was just a bottle of water, for heavens' sake!

"Sure," he replied, handing Kisara the bottle. He noticed that her hands were shaking when she took it. Some nightmare that was.

"What was your nightmare about?" Seto heard himself asking, mentally slapping himself afterwards. Everyone had nightmares every once in a while, so why should he care about hers in particular?

'_Because you want to protect her…'_ a voice in the back of his voice answered. Oh, so now he had an inner voice as well? _Brilliant._ Yeah, note the frustration here, people.

Kisara, who didn't notice Seto's inner conflict, looked away, slightly ashamed. But she answered nonetheless.

"I… I dreamed about what happened last Monday," she said. Seto frowned. Wasn't that the day that…? Yep, it was. Kisara confirmed it.

"I dreamed about that man. You know… the one who kissed me. Only…" she swallowed, "In my nightmare…you weren't there to help me…" She immediately realized what she'd just said. She quickly added, "Or anyone else for that matter!"

Seto couldn't help but feel slightly nauseous at the memory. But his anger quickly took over. So that sleaze ball, that _pathetic_ excuse for a man, was causing her nightmares? He made a mental note to _personally _make the man disappear from the face of the earth if he ever saw him again. Seto didn't quite notice that his entire body had gone rigid with rage. Kisara, however, _had_ noticed. And it scared her.

"Seto?" she spoke with a voice that was way too frail to be hers. He didn't hear her. Kisara hesitated, but then she softly grabbed his hand. Seto immediately snapped out of his daze. He looked down at their joined hands in utter disbelief. Then he slowly looked up to meet Kisara's eyes. He slowly sat down.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. He looked away, and slowly nodded. They hadn't let go yet. They weren't sure whether or not they wanted to.

"Just… I'm still mad at that man, I guess," he said. She smiled.

"Don't be," she whispered, "He got what he deserved." Her smiled got wider. "I just hope that I hit him hard enough to make sure he'll never be able to produce children,"

At that, Seto couldn't help but smile as well. She'd hit the man hard, indeed. They just sat there in silence for a while. They weren't looking at each other, but they were still holding hands. Then Kisara suddenly spoke up.

"I can't help but wonder what's gotten into those three to lock us up in here. I've been thinking about it ever since that door closed, but I just can't figure it out,"

"Me neither," Seto said, but it made him think again.

"Do you know those girls?" he asked. Kisara looked up.

"Well, yes. They are my twin cousins," she answered. He looked up as well.

"Twin cousins?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes, they arrived during lunch hour, so Mika and I went to the airport to pick them up. They'll be staying with me for two weeks," she explained. Seto's eyes widened.

"But then… when did they plan this?" he wondered out loud. Kisara shrugged.

"Beats me," she said, "Probably when Mika went to the bathroom. She was gone for a long time. Maybe she called them,"

But that still didn't explain _why_ they planned it! Seto went over every little detail in his head, over and over and over again, until…

"Dear god…" he whispered. Of course, Mika had seen them. On Monday, after Kisara had broken the cup, after that stupid, _stupid_ kiss, Mika had been the first to come in. There was _no way_ that she hadn't noticed Seto's strange behavior. That was the only explanation. _She'd actually figured it out._

'_And now she wants me to make a move…'_ he thought. It made perfect sense. Mika had also stolen his cell phone. Seto knew for a fact that she'd called Mokuba to tell him that his brother wouldn't come home for the time being. Mokuba knew that Seto was attracted to Kisara. Was he in this as well?

"What's wrong?" Kisara asked with curiosity. She'd seen Seto's face go white. He shook his head.

"It's… it's nothing," he said. Yeah, right! As if she'd let it go that easily!

"Liar," she said, "Now tell me, what's eating you?"

'_Oh, if you only knew,'_ he thought. Did they really expect him to make a move on this woman? Or did they expect _her_ to make a move on _him_? That thought was about just as scary.

What was most disturbing was that Seto didn't really _mind_. Not good. Now that he'd realized what this was all about, he found it hard to think of anything else than Kisara and that sinfully delicious mouth of hers.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" he said. She didn't believe it. At all.

"Seto, what - is - wrong?" she insisted. He didn't answer. He didn't look at her. She sighed.

"Fine then, have it your way," she grumbled, looking away again. Despite the tension, both fell asleep again fairly easily. They were still holding hands.

}:{

_4.13 AM_

Seto woke up again and the first thing he noticed was the absence of Kisara's hand.

'_Damn!'_

He noticed the woman in question to be eating one of the apples (which had, too, gone untouched until now) while standing against the opposite wall, next to the door. She was frowning. She didn't seem to have noticed that he'd woken up. Seto stared at her. He had to admit (again) that Kisara was a beauty. He sighed without noticing. Kisara looked up. Her frown disappeared, but she didn't smile at him like she normally would.

"Hungry?" she asked. He didn't move at first, but nodded then. She walked over to the small bag and threw an apple at him. He caught it, but didn't eat it. He just kept looking at Kisara. He hadn't even looked away when she'd thrown the apple. She noticed. He could see it made her feel uneasy. He smirked.

"What?" she asked. Seto shook his head.

"Nothing," he said. She looked at him in a way that said "yeah, right, and I'm the Easter Bunny".

"You're lying," she stated, "Again,"

He sighed for what felt like the _thousandth_ time in less than 12 hours, but didn't respond. Kisara sighed, too, and walked over to him. She sat down, closer than she had earlier, and leaned against him as if it was the most natural thing to do. Seto found that he didn't mind. Again. Unfortunately for him, Kisara wasn't the kind of person to leave things unfinished.

"So, about earlier," she said (Seto silently cursed), "What was so bad that you didn't want to tell me?"

Said looked at her and Kisara looked at him. When neither had emerged victorious after their little staring contest five minutes later, Seto decided to just get it over with already. He looked away and took a deep breath.

"I know why we're here," he said, then corrected himself, "at least, I _think_ I know,"

Kisara looked at him expectantly. He didn't go on, however.

"And?" Kisara asked.

"Well," Seto said, "I could be that it's about last Monday. I think Mika knows that we… kissed,"

He had trouble saying that last word, and it came out in a whisper. Kisara blushed and looked away.

"Ah…" she said. They were silent, refusing to look at each other, afraid of what that would trigger. After a few minutes, Seto couldn't take any more. He stood up, walked over to the opposite wall, and leaned against it. Silence.

}:{

_5.47 AM_

They were both still wide awake and neither had moved. It was getting quite uncomfortable. Kisara wasn't thinking of anything in particular. Seto, on the other hand, kept telling his mind to just _stop_ replaying that _stupid_ kiss! He hadn't been able to think of anything else for the past hour and a half or so. And what's worse: the more he thought about it… the more he wanted it. He wanted it to happen again.

Damn Mika.

Kisara stood up to take some water. Seto watched her. He watched her _every move._ Then he walked up to her, silently, slowly.

"Can I have some?" he asked, pointing at the bottle. She nodded, handing it to him. She tried to smile, but wasn't very successful. Seto put the bottle down, just as Kisara started to walk back to her spot. She was stopped when Seto grabbed her wrist with force. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And they both knew it.

'_It's inevitable…'_ he thought.

'… _so we might as well get this the hell over with!'_

He slowly turned her around. She didn't meet his eyes. He pulled her closer. She still didn't look up. She just ignored him. And Seto still didn't like to be ignored. He lifted her chin, _forcing _ her to look at him.

"Don't ignore me," he whispered, "_Ever!_"

He brought his face closer to hers, but stopped at less than an inch from her lips.

"Your move," It was less than a whisper now. She wanted it, hell, she was willing to _beg_ for it! But there was this little voice in the back of her head that told her _no!_ Their lips touched.

"No," Kisara said, pulling away from him. The hurt was more than a little visible in Seto's eyes as he let her go. If he reached out for her again, he could easily pull her back to him, but it felt as if there was a canyon about the size of the entire bloody _universe_ separating them!

_Rejection…_

"No…" Kisara whispered again, looking at her feet.

_Anger…_

"We can't…" her whispers were getting softer.

_Pain…_

She looked up at him and gasped. She was looking directly into his eyes and it was just like it had been when they'd first met. As if he could see right through her. But also, Kisara could see _exactly_ what _he_ was feeling. And it hurt to know that she was the cause.

'_You did the right thing,'_ the voice in the back of her head said. That's when Kisara couldn't take any more. She pushed the voice back into the far corners of her mind, where it belonged, and took a step closer to Seto.

"Seto, I'm…" she started, but he wouldn't let her finish. That one step she'd taken had broken his precious self-control. In less than a second, he'd pinned her to the wall. His eyes seemed to be made of pure lava. Blue lava, that burned terribly, but it didn't hurt. He kissed her, breaking her self-control as well.

Kisara mentally gasped. _Holy. Fucking. Hell._

}:{

_Seto's POV_

It took me a moment or two to realize exactly _what_ I was doing and _who_ I was doing it with. After that, there wasn't much on my mind anymore, because that's when we started to use our tongues and our sort of innocent kissing turned into a make-out session. Oh well, no can do, I guess.

The next thing I knew, we were on the ground, not quite in a lying position, but not sitting either. It was something in between, and I had no idea as to how we'd ended up that way. I tried to focus, I really did, but my mind wouldn't cooperate. It had decided, all on its own, to just shut down and enjoy the moment. My self-control was officially non-existent. Kisara didn't help much. She was all but _ravaging_ my mouth. And somewhere in a part of my mind that _was_ still working, I thought that that wasn't exactly right, because Kisara's a woman, so shouldn't _I_ be the one to ravage _her_ mouth? That's when the little voice in my head sort of bitch slapped me and told me that we were living in the 21rst century and that Kisara was way more experienced than I was and that she was _really_ good at what she was doing so why did I even give a damn thing?

The next second, it seemed, I was sitting with my back against the wall and Kisara was straddling me and _damn_ I had a problem! I don't know if she just didn't noticed or if she didn't care, but either way, she wasn't done with me. She dominated me and I let her. I enjoyed it. Fuck self-control. Making out with the one you're in love with is way more satisfying.

}:{

_After an unknown amount of time had passed_

_Original POV _

They had to pull away to be able to breathe and that's about the moment when they realized that they would be doing this more often. A _lot_ more often! They were panting heavily, their lips were next to bruised and they had their arms wrapped around each other tightly, leaving almost no space between them.

When they could breathe somewhat normally again, they let go, but only a little bit. Seto let his hands come to a rest at Kisara's hips, Kisara let one arm stay around Seto's neck, use the hand of her other arm to slowly comb through his hair. Seto had to admit that it felt nice. Soothing.

"What now?" Kisara asked softly. Seto closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. He realized that not too long ago, the very _thought_ that he would ever be in a situation quite like this one would have made him think _'yeah right, as if'_, but now… now it was natural. No almost involved here, it was _natural_.

Seto couldn't help but think of Yisuba's words.

_"The thing is, that most of Fujiwaka's mistresses are his own employees. And once he's over with them, he leaves them in ruin. All of them. The only exception being his first and favorite mistress, Hasako. I'm sure you'll meet her sooner or later. That woman has more power in Fujiwaka's household than his own wife. Now, my fear is that the new girl will be his next target,"_

Seto unintentionally strengthened his hold on Kisara, anger clouding his mind.

'_Hell no,'_ he thought. Fujiwaka wouldn't get Kisara. Ever!

"Seto?"

He looked up. Kisara looked worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "You look so angry,"

Seto looked away, knowing better now than to claim nothing was wrong. That woman could read him like a book, dammit!

"I was thinking," he said.

"About what?"

"That man,"

"What man?"

Damn, he didn't want to scare her. But how else could he keep her away from Fujiwaka's claws? How else could he make sure she'd stay with him, instead of eventually going to another man? Kisara didn't seem to be the type to run off with a new lover _'what the hell? Does this make me her lover?'_, but Seto was a busy man and he couldn't even guarantee _himself_ that he'd have enough time for Kisara, so who knows? How could he keep her away from _any_ man? _Wait a sec!_

"Yisuba's assistant," he answered her question. It was a lie, but she didn't need to know. Just mentioning the man was enough to make sure she'd be too distracted to notice Seto's lie. She shivered. She was scared. Seto just held her close.

"It's okay," he whispered, "He'll never come near you again,"

"I know," she said, "It's just…"

"Kisara," Seto said. She looked up. "I'm telling you now, he'll never come near you again. Ever! I swear to all that is holy that no man will _ever_ do such a thing to you again,"

He kissed her cheek. It was a sweet kiss. It was _just_ a kiss.

"I promise," he whispered. When did he become so emotional? So overly _romantic?_ Was it all because he'd fallen in love? _Hold it right there!_

Seto wasn't stupid, he had been more than a little aware that he was attracted to Kisara for the past few days now, but _love?_ He felt his body heat up a little at the thought, but it was a pleasant kind of heat that brought an incredibly goofy grin to his face. In love. Seto couldn't believe it. He had actually fallen in love. He silently ate all of his words that said anything along the lines of 'love is weak and stupid'. Because those words weren't true. At all. Seto made a mental note to apologize to Mokuba. His little brother had been absolutely right.

}:{

_8.07 AM_

The couple hadn't moved at all when the door opened, revealing Mika, Raiku and Risa (the latter two holding their breath in pure excitement). Mika was slightly dumbfounded when she saw her boss stand up and walk out of the small room along with Kisara like he didn't have a care in the world. The two even _held hands_ until they walked out! With a big grin plastered on her face, Raiku handed Seto a small piece of paper that had fourteen numbers written on it.

"We changed the password…" she explained.

"… to Kis' name," Risa added.

"You might want to change that," Mika said with a genuine smile, looking at Kisara's slightly blushing face. Seto was smiling as well, looking at the numbers and memorizing them instantly, before shaking his head.

"No," he said, "I actually like it better this way,"

He walked away in the direction of the elevators, not caring about the twins' high-five or Mika's smirk. Kisara walked next to Mika, smiling brightly. Seto turned around then.

"Mika," he said, "Would you mind giving me my phone back? I'll need it for work,"

* * *

**Now, I hope you enjoyed it, especially HopelessRomantic183 (you've been looking forward to this so much, I would absolutely HATE to have disappointed you! Even more so than I normally would!).**

**I realize that Seto is slightly OOC in this, at least , that's what I think, and I really hope you, my readers, don't mind too much.**

**Okay, as for Seto's password: I didn't expect anyone to get the meaning, but I'll explain. The password was ****25-10-07-07-42-15-12. ****You should actually read it as 25-10-07-07-4-21-5-12. 25-10 means the 25th of October, which is (according to the Yu-Gi-Oh wiki I found) Seto's birthday. 07-07 stands for the 7th of July (Mokuba's birthday). I also wanted an actual word to be part of the password, so I chose 4-21-5-12, which reads D-U-E-L. Okay, so that's it for the password! And HopelessRomantic183, OF COURSE Seto wouldn't change the password xD**

**From now on, I won't say what'll be in the next chapter, I'll just tell you guys what is yet to come. Which **_**could **_**happen in the next chapter. So…**

**COMING UP IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Yori arrives in Domino City.  
Emiko, look who's coming over to visit you!  
Dinner at Fujiwaka's. Who are attending and who are they bringing along?  
There's a business trip coming up.**

**Last but not least: I also have an account on LiveJournal, feel free to visit and say 'hi'. Just follow this link (I've used *'s instead of dots). ****http:/harpyindisguise*livejournal*com/profile**

**Love, and see you next chapter,**

_**Lenneko-chan**_


	13. Chapter 11

**Every once in a while, I take a break. For different reasons, this time the heat being the reason. We have a heat wave going on here in the Netherlands, and in case you know what kind of weather we usually have here, you might understand that I'm not used to temperatures anywhere above 25 degrees Celsius (about 77 degrees Fahrenheit). And high temperatures are not good if I want to write a new chapter!**

**As for personal news (for those who're not interested: skip this paragraph), I'm now officially a high school graduate! Aaaaaahhhh! *happy-idiot-dance* Also, I got this letter from the university I want to go to and the letter addressed me as 'freshman History student', aka I got accepted! Yay!**

**Special thanks…**

… **PK Phoenix - Thanks for the compliments, other people also told me that I've done such a good job on my OC's, and I'm really glad you like their roles in this story. Also, more Mokuba/Emiko is on its way! Next chapter sounds good?**

… **Eragonfan - Thank you once again for more ideas for this story! I really appreciate the effort!**

… **HopelessRomantic183 - I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I was really scared that I would disappoint you. And also, thank you for the PM's, it's really never happened before that one of my readers sent me one just to have a talk, but I already told you all about that^^**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Yori arrives in Domino City.  
Emiko, look who's coming over to visit you!  
Dinner at Fujiwaka's. Who are attending and who are they bringing along?**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!

* * *

**

_Friday, May 13, 7.13 AM_

_Original POV_

Seto and Mokuba were just finishing up their breakfast when they heard the sound of a bell. The bell in question was meant for the postman who came by every morning to deliver the mail (usually just the morning paper). Mokuba stood up and walked over to the front door. He opened a small box that was located next to the door and took out the usual newspaper and also an envelope. It was a quite fancy envelope, made of marble-colored paper that was of a very high quality. Mokuba was almost surprised that it didn't say _"for the rich and important only"_. He walked back to his brother, dumping the newspaper on the table in the dining room.

"Seto, look at this," he said, handing the envelope to his brother. Seto opened it with next to no interest, but his eyes widened a little when he saw the contents.

"It's an invitation," he said.

"What does it say?" Mokuba asked, trying to look at the invitation in question (which was made of an even more luxurious kind of paper than the envelope it had been in). Seto showed it to his brother.

'_The honored mister Ken Fujiwaka'_ it said, _'would like to invite you to join him and his family for dinner. Of course, Fujiwaka-sama would be honored if you would like to bring along your partner. In the event that you find yourself unable to attend, please be so kind to let Fujiwaka-sama be informed of your absence. _

_Dinner will be held on Friday, the 13th of May, at 8 PM. You are most welcome to join Fujiwaka-sama and his family from 6 PM._

_Fujiwaka-sama would also like to inform you of the list of guests:_

_Daisuke Yisuba  
Kisara Ishinagi  
Seto Kaiba  
Mokuba Kaiba  
Hibiki Matsuhita  
Hideki Matsuhita  
Junko Matsuhita  
Izumi Akiyama  
Masaru Ueda  
Maximilian Pegasus  
Christopher Johnson  
Raymond Claymore_

_Fujiwaka-sama and his family would be very honored with your presence and hope that you find yourself able to attend._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Ken Fujiwaka  
Hasako Kurosawa  
Emiko Fujiwaka'_

For some reason, it seemed very logical for Fujiwaka to include a list of guests. The arrogance of that man was unlimited! Mokuba frowned. He took the envelope. It was addressed to both him and Seto. Now, _that_ was a first.

"I've never been invited to one of those dinners before," Mokuba said.

"You are my brother," Seto said, "And you are almost an adult now. People start to invite you because you are about to become an important business acquaintance to them. At least, that's what _they_ think,"

Mokuba slowly nodded.

"They hope that if I like them, they'll get closer to you," he said. Seto didn't answer. He was still looking at the invitation. Kisara had been invited as well. Damn!

"Seto?" Mokuba asked suddenly. His brother looked up.

"Do you know who this Hasako Kurosawa is?"

Seto nodded.

"Yisuba told me about her. She's Fujiwaka's favorite mistress," he answered. Then his face turned angry. "She's just one out of many, though," he added. Mokuba looked at the piece of paper again.

"Emiko will be there as well," he mumbled.

"Of course she will," Seto shrugged, "She's Fujiwaka's daughter after all,"

Mokuba looked at his brother in disbelief.

"But… but that man keeps her locked up!" he cried out. Seto snapped his head towards his brother.

"What?" he exclaimed. This was new information. "And how do you know?"

"Yori told me. You know, my ex-girlfriend? No, I guess you don't remember. Anyway, a relative of Emiko's called her and told her the whole story. Emiko's father keeps her locked up, he's taken her cell phone, she has a home tutor, and all of this ever since last Tuesday!"

Seto looked at his baby brother with a frown.

"Really, now?" he said slowly. Then he thought of something else.

"Mika told me to call Yisuba yesterday," Seto told Mokuba, who looked confused. What did that have to do with anything? Seto went on.

"He told me that my little brother had caused trouble for his granddaughter," he said, "However, he never mentioned Fujiwaka or your friend Emiko. All he told me was that his granddaughter was in trouble and that you should watch out for the girl's father. Now, am I correct when I say that my little brother will have to explain himself to one of the most notorious men alive?"

Mokuba slowly nodded. Yisuba-san was Emiko's grandfather? He never knew that. Well, she hardly ever talked about her family. He knew Yisuba and he liked the man very much, but did he have grandchildren?

Seto sighed. So now he had two things to worry about tonight (of course he would attend, it would be a disaster for his reputation if he didn't). One: making sure Fujiwaka would be next to unable to get to Kisara, and two: keeping the very same man away from his baby brother.

There was something else that was bothering him: at dinners and parties such as this one, it looked very pathetic if you didn't bring along a partner. In the past, Seto had always asked Mika to be his partner, but now he really wanted to go with Kisara. Since it never looked good if partners were far away from each other, him being Kisara's partner would make sure she would be safe. But she had an invitation of her own, and for two guests to be each other's partner _also_ looked pathetic. Mokuba broke into his thoughts.

"Seto, may I go?" he asked, sounding like a little kid. Seto nodded.

"You don't have much of a choice, it'll look bad if you're not there without a good reason," he said. Then he frowned.

"Who'll you bring along?" he asked. Mokuba scratched his head.

"I don't know. Asking Emiko is out of the question of course. But Yori will arrive in Domino today, since she wants to help Emiko. Maybe I'll ask her."

Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Your ex-girlfriend? Well, that's fine with me. By the way," he added, "What _is_ Emiko to you? 'Cause I'm not so sure anymore that she's your _friend_,"

Mokuba blushed.

"Well," he said, "I…"

Seto sighed.

"Mokuba, just admit it. You already know about me and Kisara," he said impatiently. He'd told Mokuba nothing about what had happened in the closet, but that hadn't been necessary. One look at his brother's face was all that Mokuba had needed.

"Alright," Mokuba sighed, "I love her. Happy now?"

Seto didn't answer. Instead, he took his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I have to call Mika," he said, speed-dialing her number, "You're not going to school today. Fujiwaka is a dangerous man, and I'd prefer you getting out of there alive, so I'm going to prepare you for the worst and hope for the best," He had barely finished when Mika picked up her phone.

}:{

_Emiko's POV, 9.08 AM_

When Kiyomi told me I had a visitor, I didn't expect to see this man. I'd only seen him once before in my life. I was only seven years old at the time. Now ten years had passed, but he didn't look much different.

He was sitting in my father's chair, with me sitting on his lap like the little girl I had been ten years ago. But back then, I'd been laughing. Now I was leaning against him, holding on to him for dear life and crying my eyes out. He let me, he even wiped away one or two of his own tears. He didn't say a word until I'd calmed down. He was rocking me back and forth, and I felt completely safe.

"It'll be alright, Emiko," he said, and I actually believed him.

"I know, grandpa," I said with a squeaky voice that didn't sound like mine at all.

"We'll get you out of here," grandpa assured me. I looked up.

"Who's 'we', grandpa?" I asked. He smiled.

"Me," he answered, "And your grandmother, she misses you an awful lot, child. And a nephew of mine, Nori. He's a cousin of your mother's, you talked to him on the phone" I nodded "and your friend Yori, she'll arrive in Domino today, and" here he paused, looking down at me with something I could only call mischief in his eyes "Mokuba will help you as well,"

I sat up immediately, looking at my grandfather wide-eyed.

"Mokuba?" I asked. Grandpa nodded.

"He is one of your guests tonight," he told me.

"But father would never let him into the house! He told me he'd make sure I'll never see Mokuba again!" I exclaimed. Grandpa just kept smiling.

"It wasn't part of his plan to invite Mokuba," he said, "But I managed to persuade him into doing so after all. I believe your father did it to satisfy his own sadistic needs to make others feel miserable" here grandpa looked very angry "in other words, to torture the both of you. You really mustn't talk to the boy, it would only make things worse if your father found out,"

There was one word in his explanation that caught my special attention.

"Torture, grandpa?" I asked confused. Grandpa gave me a knowing look.

"My dear girl," he said, "You love him. And Mokuba would have to be an idiot not to love you back. Putting the two of you in the same room and forbidding you to have contact… won't that be terrible for you?"

I slowly nodded, looking away. I didn't even deny what he said! Not a single word!

"Yes, it will," I whispered. Grandpa hugged me once again. It was a very tight hug, through which he told me that he would protect me and that everything would be alright in the end.

}:{

_Original POV, 10.42 AM_

The twins were taking a walk and they were awfully quiet. They didn't like the invitation Kisara had gotten at all.

"_But Kis, we were going to have a movie marathon tonight!" Raiku exclaimed in shock._

"_Yeah, we were going to watch Ten Things I Hate About You…" Risa added, pouting._

"… _and The Princess Diaries…"_

"… _and A Cinderella Story…"_

"… _and It's A Boy-Girl Thing…"_

"… _and…"_

"_Girls, I'm terribly sorry, I truly really am, but I can't just say 'no' to this," Kisara said, "My boss is a very scary guy and I'm afraid of what could happen if I refused to go. But I'll make it up to you,"_

"_How?" the girls asked in unison. Kisara thought about it for a moment, then smiled brightly._

"_We'll go shop for snacks and drinks tomorrow morning, order pizza for dinner all the way until Tuesday and we'll have a movie marathon all weekend. We'll eat ice cream with odd tastes at two in the morning, we'll wear our pajamas all weekend aaaaand… you two can dress me up as you like. Also all weekend,"_

_The girls were gaping._

"_Really?" Risa asked._

"_Promise?" Raiku asked._

"_Really, I promise," Kisara answered, still with a bright smile on her face. Her cousins' faces lit up._

"_Yippee!" they screamed. _

But now they would have to entertain themselves for the rest of the day.

They weren't exactly watching where they were going, thus when the twins rounded a corner, they bumped into a girl who seemed to be in a hurry. And they bumped into her rather hard, causing the three of them to fall.

"Ouch…" Risa grimaced while nursing her butt, on which she had landed. The three girls got on their feet again.

"I'm very sorry!" the girl they'd bumped into apologized. She had black hair that she wore down. It didn't get below her chin, but it looked very good on her. Her eyes were dark green. She was a little bit shorter than Raiku and Risa (who were both 5'6") and very slim. The girl was wearing a lime green dress that ended just below her knees and brown-leather boots, that looked a lot like the cowboy-like boots the twins had themselves. She was actually very pretty.

"Hey, we didn't watch our steps either," Raiku said kindly, giving the girl her black bag that had fallen to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Risa asked. The girl nodded frantically.

"Yes… yes, I'm alright!" she said, while picking up another bag. Raiku raised an eyebrow.

"In a hurry?" she asked. The girl nodded again.

"Well, I'm a bit lost, and I'm supposed to meet up with someone, I used to live here, but I've never been in this part of town before…"

"Okay, hold it right there!" Risa said while raising her hand in front of the girl's face. The girl fell silent.

"First things first," Risa continued, "My name is Risa, and this is my twin sister, Raiku. We live in Sapporo and we have come to Domino to visit a cousin of ours. Who are you?"

The girl looked at the smiling girls dumbfounded.

"Well," she stammered, "I'm Yori, and… well, as I told you, I used to live here, but my parents and I moved to Osaka a few years ago. And… I'm here to help a friend,"

Forgetting about her haste, Yori looked around. Raiku seemed to read her thoughts.

"Our cousin had to go to work this morning," she explained, "And she'll be going to this _really_ fancy dinner tonight at her boss' house, so Risa and I are on our own for the time being,"

Yori looked surprised.

"Talk about coincidence," she said, "Does your cousin happen to go to the Fujiwaka residence tonight?"

Now the twins looked confused.

"How do you know?" they asked. Yori smiled.

"I'll be attending as well. My… _friend_ got an invitation and asked me to be his date," she said, clearly hesitating at the word 'friend'. The twins noticed.

"Your… _friend_?" Risa asked. The other girl blushed.

"Well, he's actually my ex-boyfriend, but we get along well, so I thought, why not?"

Raiku giggled.

"Is your ex the one you want to help?" she asked. Yori's face go serious and she shook her head.

"No," she said, "The one I want to help is Fujiwaka's daughter, Emiko. We used to be classmates before I moved to Osaka. She got in trouble with her father and he's locked her up. He didn't like Emiko's friendship with Mokuba, my ex,"

"Mokuba?" Risa frowned. Raiku jumped a few times, causing several people who passed by them to give her strange looks (Yori included).

"Oh! Oh! I know!" she said loudly, waving her arms, "His name was on Kis' invitation! Isn't he the brother of that Kaiba guy that Kis has the hots for?" Her sister nodded.

"Yes, I believe so," she said. Yori looked utterly confused.

"You know Mokuba's brother?" she asked. The twins grinned wickedly.

"Call you friend to meet up with the three of us…" Risa told her.

"… 'cause we have some updates for you," Raiku added, before walking off to a small Italian restaurant.

}:{

The twins were utterly surprised and also very much disgusted when Yori had told them the whole story, after listening to theirs.

"That Fujiwaka guy really has a stick up his ass," Risa said frowning, while her sister nodded in agreement.

"Now I wish even more that we could go with Kis tonight. Then we would be able to kick his ass!" she exclaimed. Yori sighed.

"If only it were that simple," she said, "But that man is being guarded at all times, you wouldn't be able to get near him. We'll just have to get Emiko _and_ her mother out of there without Emiko's father noticing,"

"We being who?" Raiku asked with interest.

"Myself, Nori (Emiko's mother's cousin), Yisuba-san (Emiko's grandfather) and Mokuba," Yori answered, "Oh, and Yisuba-san's wife as well,"

"Will that be enough?" Risa asked.

"It's have to be," Yori said. At that moment, two men suddenly joined their table.

"There you are!" the younger of the two said. His older companion, however, got straight down to business.

"You are Yori?" he asked Yori. She nodded, still a little shocked by the interruption.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Daisuke Yisuba, this is my nephew, Nori. Thank you for wanting to help us. Who are your friends?"

The two girls in question jumped out of their seats.

"I'm Raiku," the twin with the sea-green hair introduced herself.

"And I'm Risa," the twin with the light-purple hair added. They bowed in perfect unison.

"Their cousin happens to attend the dinner party at the Fujiwaka residence tonight," Yori explained. Yisuba raised his eyebrows.

"Really? And who would that be?" he asked with interest.

"Kisara Ishinagi," the girls answered with pride (they loved their cousin, can you blame them?). Now, a lesser man than Yisuba would have gaped, but Yisuba just raised his eyebrows a little higher.

"Kisara Ishinagi is your cousin? Well, such a coincidence! I met her not too long ago, an _excellent_ young lady, if I do say so myself," he said. Then his face darkened.

"I sure hope Seto will keep her away from Fujiwaka,"

He explained the situation when he say the confused looks of the others. The twins grew angry once again.

"Now I _really_ hate the fact that we can't go there tonight! Who knows what that _creep_ will do to Kis!" Raiku roared. Nori smiled.

"Well, Raiku, then I guess I'll brighten your day," he said smugly.

* * *

**And that's it for today!**

**Next update: Tuesday evening (Dutch time) at the latest.**

**NEW POLL! Please take a look at my profile page! I'm really curious what you guys think of my OC's!**

**I believe that including a guests list in an invitation is unusual, but it seemed like something Fujiwaka would do. **

**COMING UP IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Finally! Dinner at Fujiwaka's. What will happen?  
What's Nori's plan?  
Will Seto be able to keep Fujiwaka away from Kisara?  
Emiko and Mokuba see each other again. What now?  
There's an unexpected ally in Yisuba's plan.  
The business trip. And they're going to…**

**Side-stories that I'm going to write:  
1.**** Remember the KaibaCorp Survival Guide? What happened at Kisara's place during the weekend she was trying to memorize it?  
****2.**** Mokuba and Emiko in the KaibaCorp men's room. Enough said.****  
3.**** Kisara, Raiku and Risa are having a movie marathon weekend. Yes, you read that correctly, I'm going to write a story about that. Remember how Kisara described it? Well, all of that **_**will **_**happen!**

**I love reviews, new ideas and overall feedback, just like most other writers, so please press the pretty button below, 'kay? Love you.**

**Well, my dear readers, I'll see you in the next chapter. Thanks again for reading!**

**~Lenneko-chan**


	14. Chapter 12

**As promised: the next chapter of StarCrossed. This chapter was the most fun to write so far, I had a very good time, and I hope that it's good. Also, it's the longest chapter yet!  
**

**Some special thanks, as always...**

**... PK Phoenix - No, Yori wasn't invited to the party, but if you read closely, you'll see that Mokuba asked her to be his date. So she'll be attending after all. Thanks for the review :)**

**... Eragonfan - Yeah, I'm sorry I took so long *insert sheepish smile/grin here* Thank you very much for the congratulations, answering my poll and also for reviewing. I can't guarantee Mika's participation in Operation Free Emiko, but I can promise you one thing: this story won't be finished before the Jerkwad is behind bars! Of course, if you think about it, I couldn't _possibly_ end the story at that point, there are some other things that still need to happen as well (tournament, business trip, dates, LOTS of making out of course). Tee-hee ^_^ And ranting is FINE! I get lots of good ideas from ranting, and I also find it alot of fun to see my readers getting all worked up about my stories, it makes me feel like I did a good job on it and that always makes me happy.**

**... HopelessRomantic183 - Aw, thank you! I always like to read that my readers love my stories so much :D No, I didn't set the dinner for Friday 13th on purpose, although it sure is foreboding (Hasako at the end of this chapter, for example). I was afraid that Yisuba being Emiko's grandfather would be overly cliché, but nothing wrong with clichés, as long as they work out nicely, if you ask me! I actually think that I gave away Yisuba being Emiko's grandpa, but whatever.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Dinner at Fujiwaka's - Part 1  
What's Nori's plan?  
Fujiwaka's interest in Kisara is showing. Needless to say that Seto doesn't like that.  
Hasako doesn't like Mika. Is that feeling mutual? Well, what do YOU think?  
Mokuba and Emiko have a moment alone. Which means...  
Seto and Kisara also have a private moment. And THAT means... (well, me being a bitch, basically, but whatever)  
And there we have Pegasus!  
Raiku and Risa make some unexpected discoveries, including photos...  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Friday, May 13, 17.00 PM_

_Original POV_

There was a knock on the door. When Kiyomi opened it, her eyes widened a little with surprise. Before her, there were three people: one man and two teenage girls. The man didn't seem to be much older than 30, maybe 35 at the very most. His hair was short, black and unruly, although one could see that he'd tried to make it look somewhat decent. Sadly, he'd failed. The girls were obviously twins, and they had really weird hair colors. The three visitors wore regular jeans and black sweaters. Kiyomi also saw three pairs of identical white sneakers.

"Can I help you?" Kiyomi asked, while inwardly raising an eyebrow at the weird sight in front of her. The man bowed a little.

"We're sorry to bother you, miss, we know that you must be busy, but allow me to introduce myself: my name is Kenji Tori, and I'm here to help with the catering, along with these two lovely ladies here,"

Kiyomi gave him a strange look.

"I didn't know of this," she said. The man scratched the back of his head.

"I was afraid of that. If it makes you feel any better, you could always ask your master about us, then…,"

"No, it's alright, I'm busy enough as it is," Kiyomi grumbled while letting the three of them in. "But one thing," she said. Nori (of course it was him) and the twins turned around.

"Yes?" Nori asked. Kiyomi pointed at the girls.

"Make sure to either hide your hair or stay away from the guests. Milord wouldn't like the sight of you and then I would get in a lot of trouble. Alright?"

The girls nodded.

"Yes, miss!" they said cheerfully. Kiyomi sighed.

"Well, I'm busy, like I said, so I'll just tell you where to go and then you're on your own," she said, and led them away from the door and down the hallway. After a minute or two, the four of them halted in front of a white door. More door could be seen further down the hall. Kiyomi pointed at the white door.

"Here you can prepare yourselves for tonight," she said. Then she pointed at a light blue door that was about 20 feet away.

"Over there, you'll find the room where all the plates with drinks and snacks and so are. There's another door in there, which leads to the rooms in which you'll be working tonight before and after dinner. Just ask the other catering people about that, most of them have been here before. Ask anything that I forgot to tell you,"

Then Kiyomi's face turned very serious.

"Now listen well, you three, since you've _obviously_ never been here before. Do not, not matter what, talk to the guests, except if it is to ask them if they'd like something to eat or drink. Milord doesn't want the personnel to talk to him and his guests if it isn't necessary. Also, don't make eye contact, and make sure to bow often. That is very important! Do you understand?"

The other three nodded. Kiyomi wished them luck and was gone in a matter of seconds. The twins grinned wickedly. Nori smirked, opened the door, and closed it when the three of them were inside. There was no one else in the room. The three of them opened the bags they had with them and changed into their uniforms. In the end, Nori looked _just_ like a waiter in a classy restaurant. The twins had changed into black skirts that ended just above their knees, white shirts and black jackets. They also wore black shoes that didn't have heels but were of very high quality. Very classy.

"I feel like a stewardess in this outfit," Raiku giggled. Risa was busy hiding her hair underneath a hairnet.

"Hurry up, the first guests will arrive in a matter of minutes now," Nori said, while trying to tame his hair with the help of a comb and a lot of hair gel. The girls quickly put on their identical wigs. Now they suddenly had black hair that was put in identical tight buns.

"Okay, team!" Nori said, while giving up on his hair completely and turning around to his accomplices. They both raised their right hand to their heads, imitating two soldiers, only with more chaotic grins. Some Cheshire Cats they were. Nori ignored all of this and just went on.

"Our mission for tonight is this: act like we are with the catering, while trying to explore the mansion. Do you have the map?" he then asked. Raiku and Risa both held up a piece of paper that had the mansion mapped out on it. They also showed their red ball pens. Then they put both away in the inner pockets of their jackets.

"Good!" Nori said, "Then we'll do it like this: I stay downstairs at all times, while the two of you will explore the other floors. There's got to be some guests there, too, so it won't be too suspicious if you show up there. We'll keep contact with the intercoms, make sure no one notices,"

At this, the three of them, hid their intercoms and tested them for a moment.

"Okay," Nori continued, "Then this is what you'll have to find out: where Saeko-san is, where Fujiwaka and Hasako's room is (it's bound to be the same room), where Emiko's room is, how far apart those rooms are, and _every possible escape route!_ Also, hide the cell phone in Emiko's room and make sure there are no bugs hidden there, otherwise this might end very bad. We'll leave at midnight. Any questions?"

Raiku raised her hand.

"What if we're found out?" she asked.

"Then we make a run for it and hope for the best," Nori answered. "Anything else?"

Now it was Risa who raised her hand.

"What if we find Saeko? Are we allowed to talk to her?" she asked. Nori thought about it for a moment.

"You'll have to make sure that the room isn't bugged," he answered eventually, "If you enter a room and Saeko is there, make sure to tell here everything while sounding like one of the servants. That'll be less suspicious. But you'll have to improvise. Anything else?"

The girls shook their heads. Nori nodded.

"Alright, that's it, then. Now we'll go to the other room and prepare ourselves. Good luck!"

"Sir!"

}:{

_17.52 PM_

The black limo halted in front of the mansion and a young man opened the door and welcomed the guests. A man in his late fifties came out of the car, after which the young man helped a woman of about the same age as her husband out of the vehicle. The man was wearing a dark grey suit with a lighter grey bow tie. He was holding a black wooden walking stick with a golden knob on top of it. His wife wore a light brown dress and a darker brown shawl. Her shoes had low heels and were also brown, about the same color as the shawl. The necklace around her neck was made of gold and the large topaz that was caught in it was clearly visible. Lady Atsuko Yisuba had all the sense of style that her husband didn't have. Guess who'd chosen his outfit for the night.

The pair hadn't moved yet when another limousine stopped right behind them. They stepped aside so that the passengers could come out. The first passenger was no other than Mika Koriachi, wearing a long black dress with long sleeves. When looking at her back, however, one could see a lot of skin, since the dress was cut out so low there. Mika wasn't wearing any jewelry (she really didn't want to outshine Kisara in front of Seto, the clever minx), but she _did_ wear a black ribbon in her hair. All in all, she looked very pretty.

Next was Yori (Mokuba had asked her to be his date, remember?). Her dress was dark red, sleeveless and ended a little above her knees. Her shoes had low heels and the same color as the dress. Her necklace was a modest duplicate of the one Nicole Kidman wears in Moulin Rouge (you know, the one with the ridiculously large amount of diamonds), the gems included. Her bracelet and earrings matched the necklace. Try and imagine Mokuba's face when he saw Yori like that. Yeah, that made Mika laugh, too.

Seto and Mokuba looked much the same. They weren't the types to wear ties or bow ties, but they were both wearing a black suit, although they had their jackets draped over one arm. The big difference was that Seto's shirt was dark blue and Mokuba's was black. Also, Mokuba had tied his long hair back in a ponytail, thereby making it look a little less unruly.

Out of the six people standing there in front of the Fujiwaka mansion, Mokuba was the only one who was nervous (for various reasons). The others had gone to more than one party like this one before.

"Good evening," lady Atsuko greeted them politely. They greeted her back, after which they slowly started to walk towards the enormous house. Mokuba couldn't keep his eyes off of it. He'd be willing to bet that Seto was much and much richer than Fujiwaka, yet their house was a penthouse and _certainly_ not the size of _this_ building! Yori saw his face and giggled.

"So, Seto," Mika said with a knowing smirk, "Would you like to go inside or wait for Kisara to arrive?"

Seto blushed a little. Okay, he'd been all cool when he and Kisara had come out of the bloody closet the other day, but to bring that up in front of Yisuba and Seto's little _brother_…

"Going inside should be fine," he grumbled. He doubted that Kisara was already there, but if he went inside, then at least he could take a good look at both the house and the other guests. Yisuba sent him an interested look.

"Don't look at me like that!" Seto hissed. At that exact moment, he saw a young woman walk through the gate, looking very nervous. His heart skipped quite a few beats.

"Kisara!" Mika called out, while waving her friend over. Kisara had put her light hair in a tight high ponytail, much like she had on her first day at work, and she was wearing a long midnight blue dress that had a slit that started just below her left hip and went all the way down from there. Kisara's pantyhose had a very light color, but her skin was so pale that it could easily be seen. Her black shoes with medium high heels seemed to be made of straps and straps only. The dress was sleeveless, but it had several small straps that went over her shoulders to rejoin the dress on her back, thereby keeping it from falling to the ground. The dress was cut out low, but not _too_ low, so that it looked sexy and not slutty. Kisara's only jewelry consisted of a small silver bracelet. All in all, she looked _breathtaking_. Literally, I might add, since Seto had trouble remembering how to breathe again. Kisara looked even more nervous when she saw him. He was the only one out of all of them who didn't say a word to her as they walked into the house. Little did she know that he didn't dare to, afraid of what might come out of his mouth.

They weren't the first guests to arrive. When they entered one of the large and richly decorated rooms, they saw Fujiwaka standing there talking to a man known as Hibiki Matsuhita, his son Hideki standing less than two feet away. Father and son were both known as the lowest of the low. They were both wearing expensive suits, the father wearing a dark green one, while his son wore a yellow one (_yellow?_ Yes, yellow). They looked awful.

A pretty woman (known as Hasako) was talking to two women, clearly mother and daughter. The older woman, Matsuhita's wife lady Kotone, was a good friend of Hasako's. her daughter, Junko, was known as a kind young woman, not like her family at all. She looked very unhappy, until she saw Yisuba and his wife. She excused herself to her mother and Hasako and walked over to the newly arrived group.

"Yisuba-san!" she exclaimed happily, all but hugging the older man, "It's so good to see you again! And Atsuko-san, too!"

Next she hugged Mika, whom she knew well (they went to the same barber, enough said), then she bowed to Seto and the others. She knew Seto, of course, but not the other three.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she said politely, "My name is Junko Matsuhita,"

Kisara and the teens bowed as well, introducing themselves. Junko's face lit up.

"You're Mokuba?" she asked the boy in question. "I've heard so much about you from your brother and Mika! You're even more handsome than Mika said you were!"

Mokuba felt a major blush coming up and Yisuba laughed. Yori giggled. Fujiwaka chose that exact moment to welcome the new guests. With Hasako on one arm and a glass of white wine in the other one, he suddenly appeared before them. His smile was creepy, to put it mildly.

"Aaah, Yisuba-san, it's always a pleasure to see you. And milady Atsuko, it's been too long, hasn't it? You look as lovely as ever. Allow me to introduce you to miss Hasako Kurosawa,"

At this, Hasako bowed flawlessly and with a polite smile. Yisuba and his wife bowed as well, although it was very visible that lady Atsuko would rather scratch the woman's eyes out. After all, it was the mistress of her son-in-law.

"Won't my daughter be attending?" she asked while still shooting venom at Hasako with her eyes. Fujiwaka sighed.

"I'm afraid not, milady, she's not feeling well. She sends her love and she is _terribly_ sorry that she can't be here to greet you tonight," he said like he really cared. Of course, everyone knew he didn't. Then Fujiwaka turned to Seto.

"I'm glad you're here, Seto," he greeted the younger man (everyone quickly learned to call Seto by his first name. His last name reminded him too much of his adoptive father, whom he despised). Seto merely nodded, his eyes seemingly made of ice. _This man wants Kisara_. Fujiwaka ignored the glare.

"And I see you brought miss Koriachi along. Lovely." The last word was spoken with disdain. Hasako smiled sweetly at Mika, and Mika smiled back. In fact, this was how their silent conversation went (insert sarcasm where necessary):

H.- Well, hello, Mika! Quite the secretary you are!

M.- Why, thank you, Hasako! Although I'm afraid no one ever told me about _your_ profession.

H.- Oh, I'm a dancer. Ballet.

M.- If that's the same thing as _exotic_…

H.- Ouch.

M.- My pleasure.

H.- …

M.- *smile*

H.- So, whoring yourself out to your boss? Nice move.

M.- Why, thank you, I was just about to give you the same compliment.

H.- How sweet.

M.- No problem.

While their mental catfight was going on, Fujiwaka's attention turned to the younger Kaiba brother. Mokuba bowed, but only slightly.

"Pleased to meet you, sir. My name is Mokuba Kaiba," he said. Fujiwaka's eyes turned malicious. Seto moved a little closer to his little brother, just in case.

"Well, well, well, so _you_ are Mokuba. My daughter has always been full of praise when talking about you," Fujiwaka said. Mokuba's eyes became slits for a second. _Emiko!_ Then Yori spoke up.

"Good evening, Fujiwaka-san. I'm most honored to meet you," she spoke, while bowing deeply. Then she bowed again, this time for Hasako (although not nearly as deep).

"And you, too, Hasako-san. My name is Yori Marimochi. Pleased to meet you,"

Hasako instantly stopped the mental conversation with Mika and sent Yori her brightest smile.

"Welcome, Yori! Yes, you are _very_ welcome, indeed!" she exclaimed, causing some of them to grimace. Then Fujiwaka's attention suddenly switched to Kisara. The malice in his eyes turned into something else. _Desire._ While Seto watched the man like a hawk, Fujiwaka slowly bowed.

"And miss Ishinagi. I can't tell you how immensely glad I am that you're here," he said. Then, to both Kisara and Seto's horror, Fujiwaka raised Kisara's hand to his lips (note that Mika hooked the fingers of her right hand behind Seto's belt to keep him where he was. You never knew). When Fujiwaka stood up straight again, Hasako bowed to Kisara. It was, once again, flawless. However, Kisara had perfected the art of flawless bowing. She smiled sweetly, and bowed. Hasako's smile fell a little. That's when two completely unexpected girls appeared before the group, offering them some wine. It was a good thing that both Fujiwaka and Hasako turned around, because Kisara couldn't hide her surprise for the life of her. Before her were standing two girls that she knew _very_ well_._ Even with the wigs and uniforms, these two were, without a doubt, Raiku and Risa. Seto and Mika had recognized them as well, just like Yisuba. However, Yisuba was the only one who wasn't surprised.

At that exact moment, a man's voice could be heard behind them.

"My, my, my, if it isn't Seto Kaiba,"

Seto turned around, only to see a man he hated.

"Pegasus," he greeted the man. Maximilian Pegasus hadn't changed one bit. He was even wearing a red suit! And his smirk was as challenging as ever. He introduced himself to everyone, kissing the ladies' hands (Kisara didn't mind it _nearly_ as much this time), and then turned to Mokuba.

"Mokuba, my boy, haven't you grown quite a bit. And such a _lovely_ young lady you're with. Quite the lucky guy you are," he said with the same old smirk, sipping his wine. Other guests were also coming in now, but the group paid them little attention (except Fujiwaka, who excused himself and went to welcome everyone, Hasako still hanging on his arm).

There was some conversation, but it was forced, and more something between Seto and Pegasus than anyone else. Yisuba ultimately guided the small group away from the two to introduce him to Izumi Akiyama, who happened to be a daughter-in-law of his (Saeko had two brothers). Now Seto and Pegasus were standing alone in a corner (Seto trusted both Yisuba and Mika to make sure Fujiwaka would stay away from Kisara). And that _damned_ Pegasus was still _smirking!_

"Well, Kaiba-boy, I have to admit I'm impressed. Never, not for the life of me, would I have thought that little Mokuba would stand his ground so well against Fujiwaka. Nor would I ever have thought that you yourself could look so malicious because of a woman. In love, Kaiba-boy?" Seto felt himself become more and more angry by the second, and not just by hearing that _stupid_ nickname!

"And never would I have thought that I could hate your ugly face even more than I already do," he answered. Pegasus was about to say something, but then a man suddenly spoke up. Loudly, I might add.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome lady Emiko Fujiwaka!"

Both men turned around, just like everyone else in the room, only to see a somewhat shy girl standing in the doorway. Seto instantly recognized her as the girl he'd seen in his office not too long ago when Mokuba had come to visit him.

Emiko wore her hair down, keeping it in place with a silver hair band. She was wearing a short black dress that had no sleeves, but straps to keep it in place (much like Kisara's dress). She was also wearing a pair of black leather boots with medium high heels. Her necklace was made of silver, diamonds and onyx, as were her earrings and bracelet. Hasako walked up to her with a beautiful white rose in her hand and put it behind Emiko's left ear. Everyone could see how unhappy the girl was. But truth be told, she was very beautiful. Mokuba caught himself downright staring at his friend. Yori quickly yanked his hair to snap him out of it before anyone (read: Fujiwaka) noticed. The small room applauded politely, many guests complimenting Fujiwaka for having such a beautiful daughter. Emiko walked over to her father, feeling pretty much like a cow being shown off at a cattle market, surrounded by eager eyes and she just couldn't make out which pair of eyes wanted to take the largest bite out of her. She felt like crying. One pair of eyes was standing out, however, and Emiko quickly looked to the side, only to freeze. _Mokuba._

}:{

_18.42 PM_

_Location: Fujiwaka mansion.  
Floor: Second floor.  
When: after having succeeded in sneaking out of one of the many living rooms and sneaking up the stairs.  
Above normal street level: almost 20 feet.  
Who: Raiku and Risa_

The twins had started their mission without making a single mistake. No one had seen them go up the stairs or into the hallway on their left. Now they were standing at the first door. It was a wooden door, quite basic actually. Risa kneeled down in front of the keyhole, shook her head and stood up.

"It's a study," she whispered. Raiku nodded and wrote it down on her map. The next room turned out to be a library, the third was a salon and the fourth only had a huge vase in it. The fifth door led them into a quite tiny room that had three other doors. The girls closed the door to the hallway and opened a white door on their left. Their jaws dropped. Inside the closet were about ten shelves full of _shoes_! Underneath the shelves were smile piles of boxes, and there was yet_ another _pair of shoes in _every single box!_ Dumbfounded, the girls closed the door and opened the second one. This was full of dresses. A lot of them, more then 50, although there didn't seem to be much more than a hundred. The girls closed door number two as well. The third door led them into room full of hats and handbags. Ten seconds later, the twins were out in the hallway again. They walked on, rounded the corner, and saw only one door, all the way on the other end of the hallway. They looked through the keyhole.

"Bingo!" Raiku beamed. They had found Emiko's bedroom.

}:{

Meanwhile, Nori had made it his personal mission to keep Mokuba from approaching Emiko. Fujiwaka watched his daughter like a hawk, but Mokuba was doing exactly the same thing. It was getting harder and harder for Nori, to keep the boy away from Emiko without having to say something to him. So ultimately, Nori hoped that Fujiwaka had a low tolerance of alcohol and made sure that the man's glass of wine was filled at all times.

It was a good thing that Fujiwaka was keeping such a close eye on his daughter, since it gave Seto a chance to get close to Kisara without having to worry too much. Right now, they were in a small salon two rooms away from the one Fujiwaka was in, and they were _alone_ (Mika had gone to the bathroom, saying that she was going to reapply her make-up. Of course, it was only after that that Seto realized that the woman wasn't wearing any make-up in the first place). They were standing at the window, Kisara at one side and Seto at the other one, both without holding a drink (they'd put those on a small table). _Silence_.

"You look beautiful," Seto couldn't help but say. He'd been wanting to tell her that ever since she'd walked through that gate, but he hadn't wanted to say it with other people around. Kisara blushed.

"Thank you," she said, before looking him over.

"You don't look bad yourself," she smiled, still with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Seto smirked.

"'Not bad'?" he asked in a slightly teasing manner, causing Kisara to sigh and roll her eyes.

"Alright, alright, you look gorgeous," she admitted, looking away. She didn't have to look at him to know that his smirk grew wider.

"Thank you," he said. He'd noticed that he wasn't nearly as shy around her when there was no one _else_ around. Just the two of them. And he thought it was the same for her. He noticed that she was a little nervous. Well, he couldn't really blame her. Fujiwaka was quite scary if you were inexperienced in this world of money and power. And Kisara was _obviously_ inexperienced.

"Relax," Seto told her, causing Kisara to look at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked confused.

"I told you to relax. Everything's fine, so you don't need to be so nervous," he said. She looked slightly insulted.

"Well, _excuse me_, but this is my first time doing something like this and I have no clue as to what I'm supposed to do! I'm a simple agent, for your information, not a company president!" With that, she looked out of the window again. Some spirit she had. Seto stared at her for what had to be the millionth time that evening. He moved closer without either of them noticing it.

"Kisara," he whispered. She looked up, and he kissed her, making all of her nervousness go away.

}:{

While Raiku hid the cell phone in a place where Emiko was sure to find it, but no one else, Risa found a bug. It was hidden on the underside of Emiko's bed, right under her pillow. She signaled for her sister to give her Raiku's pocket knife, and destroyed the bug. The best thing was that the person at the receiving end couldn't hear the bug being destroyed. Win!

After they'd accomplished their mission in Emiko's room, they looked around. It looked for all of the world like the room of a teenage girl, although it was a rich girl. Emiko had a wooden four-poster bed with red satin sheets. Lucky girl…

Opposite to the bed was a dressing table with a huge mirror. The frame was made of gold. There was also a walk-in closet and a large desk with a computer. Risa couldn't resist and opened the top drawer. Or at least she tried, since it was locked. She looked at her sister. They frowned, grinned and giggled.

"Find the key!" Raiku whispered before starting to search the dressing table. Risa tried the closet. After a few minutes, it was Risa who emerged victorious, as she found a small key in the pocket of a black skirt. She opened the drawer.

"Oh, Raiku, look!" she said excitedly. Inside the top drawer of Emiko's desk were photos. Lots and lots of photos. Photos of Emiko, photos of her mom, from her birth all the way to the present. Emiko's first day at school, her birthdays, Emiko on the beach, in a swimming pool, with a bundle of flowers, on various school trips, holding a doll, even one of Emiko as a young child sitting on her father's lap. Raiku took out a small white envelope that was a bit heavy and obviously full of other photos. She took them out, and her jaw dropped. Every photo in the envelope, _every single one of them_, was of Mokuba. _Epic_ win!

}:{

_20.51 PM_

Mokuba silently cursed. He'd been trying all night, but still hadn't talked to Emiko! Yori had noticed both his mood and Nori's actions and tried to get Fujiwaka drunk or at least so tipsy that he would take his eyes off of Emiko. So far, the effect was rather minimal.

The food was very good, as was to be expected, and the company wasn't all that bad (most of the time), but Mokuba's mood didn't improve one bit. Of course, walking in on his brother kissing Kisara like their lives depended on it hadn't helped matters much.

Kisara was in the middle of a heated discussion with Mika and Junko about the pros and cons of growing up as the child of a rich family. Seto was having a conversation with Yisuba and ignoring Pegasus, who was sitting on the other side of him. Pegasus himself wasn't walking to anyone, nor was he being talked to. Instead, he was just smirking a knowing smirk and sipping his wine. Yori told lady Atsuko wall about Osaka, Hasako cackled with Kotone Matsuhita about something or other and Fujiwaka was listening to Hibiki Matsuhita's bragging, while Matsuhita's son Hideki was listening intently.

By ten thirty, dinner was over and done with and everyone went back to what they'd been doing before dinner: conversation and alcohol. To both Nori and Yori's great relief, Fujiwaka was a little drunk at last and not paying much attention to Emiko anymore. The girl sneaked into a nearby study and closed the door. Yori made sure both Fujiwaka and Hasako weren't paying attention when Mokuba silently followed Emiko. But he did more than just _close_ the door: he _locked_ it.

}:{

After fulfilling their mission in Fujiwaka and Hasako's bedroom (on the same floor as Emiko's), the twins Raiku and Risa had made their way upstairs again. But no matter where they looked, the only other bedroom they found were those of the personnel. As it was, all that was left to explore was the attic. One could only get up there by going up some small wooden stairs that were quite wobbly. After getting at the top of the stairs safely, Risa opened the ragged wooden door. Sadly, it was locked. But when Raiku reached for her pocket knife, there was some stumbling to be heard inside. The girls froze, looked at each other, and about ten seconds later, Raiku had opened the door. The room they were in was smaller than Emiko's bedroom. It was rather dark and a bit chilly. The light came from four small windows in the roof, an old table-lamp and some candles. The room was poorly furnished. There was a wooden single bed, a wooden table with a wooden chair, a small closet, an armchair and an old and quite worn carpet. The last thing the girls noticed was a woman. She appeared to be somewhere in her late forties, although she actually was in her late thirties. Her black hair was dull and had some grey in it, and her eyes didn't look much better. Saeko looked very frail. She wore a brown dress that looked like it was taken from a garbage can and a pair of sandals. She looked very scared.

"Are you lady Saeko?" Risa managed to ask (she was rather shocked by what she saw, as was her sister). The woman slowly nodded. Raiku straightened her back.

"Milady, don't worry: help is on its way. We are Raiku and Risa, as Yisuba-san asked us to find you so that he can get you out of here," she said. Saeko sniffed. The girls walked up to her and told her everything.

}:{

Emiko was standing in front of the window, staring at the garden. She didn't notice when Mokuba came in and locked the door, nor did she notice it when he walked up behind her. What she _did_ notice, however, were the arms wrapped around her from behind and a heated and whispered _'I missed you'_ next to her ear. Emiko turned around at pretty much the speed of light, wrapped her arms around her friend (boyfriend?) and hid her face against his shoulder. She cried. Mokuba just held her close. He couldn't help but notice that Emiko smelled good. Like roses.

Emiko eventually calmed down, her eyes now a bit red from crying.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, "If father finds out…"

"Did you miss me?" Mokuba interrupted her. She looked up at him like he'd just said that the earth was flat after all. Then her face turned angry and tears came back to her eyes. Before Mokuba could stop her, she'd slapped him in his face. Ouch, that hurt. Mokuba didn't move, he just kept holding Emiko, who was debating with herself whether or not to raise her hand again. She decided not to, but she didn't lower her hand.

"Are you seriously asking me…" she whispered, "… if I _missed you_? After all that I've been through in the past few days, after Monday, _after what happened in the bloody KaibaCorp men's room_, you ask me if I _missed you_? Mokuba, you are pretty much my only friend at the moment! _Of course I missed you, you idiot!_"

She spoke rather softly (she had to with all those people standing on the other side of the door), but Mokuba heard every word as clearly as if she'd screamed them. She'd missed him. She'd _missed_ him. She'd missed _him!_

Emiko was crying again. Mokuba did nothing. She calmed down again. He still wasn't doing anything. Just holding her.

"Mokuba, you _have_ to go," Emiko said urgently, wiping away her tears, "If my father finds out the two of us are in here alone, he'll ruin you! And not only you. He said that if I ever saw you again, he'd ruin both you _and_ your brother, and then… _then you'd hate me forever!_"

"I'm not going anywhere," Mokuba said, "Not until you tell me why your father hates me as much as he does. I never did anything to you,"

"That's not how he sees it!" Emiko said, "He hired someone to follow me. That man saw us sneak off the school grounds and kept following us after that. He reported everything to my father. Now father thinks… he thinks you're my boyfriend!"

Mokuba raised Emiko's chin with his hand to make her look at him. He was looking at her very serious. He seemed to be thinking about something. Then he asked her the one question she didn't really want to answer.

"Am I not?" he asked. His heart was beating about a mile a minute. This was it. His heart would either break or burst now. Emiko just looked at him, the conflict visible in her eyes. Then she took a deep breath.

"Mokuba," she whispered, "There's nothing I'd want more than that… but I'm locked up in here. We can't be together,"

"We can," Mokuba said, bringing his face closer to hers, "And we will."

With that, he kissed her.

}:{

Hasako had been looking for Emiko for almost fifteen minutes now and was about to call out for her when she suddenly tripped, fell, and got very, very wet.

"Oops, my bad," she heard a man say in a tone that said that he wasn't sorry at all. Looking up, Hasako saw Maximilian Pegasus looking down at her. His glass of wine was empty. The wine that had been in the glass was soaking Hasako's dress and ruining her hairdo. And since her make-up wasn't waterproof… well, you can imagine that, I think.

Roaring with rage and humiliation, Hasako got up and run up the stair towards the bedroom. Little did she know that the up-to-no-good Pegasus had been exploring the mansion earlier and locked the door.

* * *

**Okay, so now we have a bunch of cliffhangers (gna-gna-gna) and a VERY pissed off Hasako.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Dinner at Fujiwaka's - Part 2  
Mokuba + Emiko +Locked Room = ?  
Nori and the twins are found out! How to escape?  
Kisara gets home very early in the morning. The twins demand an explanation!  
Seto decides to not give a damn about the audience. After all, it's all about keeping Fujiwaka away from Kisara, right?  
And I'll FINALLY announce the destination of the business trip (but do feel free to come up with ideas, 'cause maybe yours is better than mine).  
Whose date am I planning?  
The tournament is about to begin, and Seto is participating, leaving Kisara in Domino. My prediction: not good!**

**Soooo, curious yet? Next update will be before the weekend (Dutch time). And the chapter after that will most likely be up by then as well, knowing me...  
**

**My poll is still open, so please vote!**

**Also, please be so kind to review. I'm really curious what you all think of this story. Suuggenstions, idfeas, and the like are more than welcome.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	15. Chapter 13

**Welcome, all, to yet another chapter of StarCrossed! First of all, I need to tell you that there was some confusion regarding the last chapter. Remember when Pegasus spilled his wine over Hasako? Well, when it was said after wards that Pegasus had locked the door, I meant that he'd done that **_**before**_** Hasako run off, but when reading, one would think (like you did), that he locked the door once Hasako was inside. I decided to leave it at that he locked the door once she was inside, because it gave me the perfect idea for a prank of the twins. Also, there'll be some making-out in this chapter, and I'm always afraid that I don't put enough passion and the like in those scenes *whine*  
**

**Personal News  
This morning, I found THE most awesome e-mail in my mailbox. Dinah Nuzzler would like translate The Eyes I Can't Forget (thanks to which this story is even being written) to Spanish. Is that awesome or what? I'm so happy!**

**Special thanks  
****ShinabaMorotomo**** - Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List AND for the review! Yeah, I just LOVE Pegasus and I couldn't POSSIBLY leave him out of all this. I'm sorry if the amount of different characters is confusing, I'll try to keep new characters from emerging, but I'm very happy that you like the story and I'll update ASAP^^**

**Eragonfan - Yeah, Fujiwaka sure is asking for it, I agree, but don't you worry: he'll get a taste of what he deserves in this chapter. And personally, I loved the Hasako vs. Mika mental catfight, which Mika couldn't POSSIBLY lose! Some good news for you and all the other Mokuba/Emiko lovers: making-out is present in this chapter! An I will announce the business trip destination in this chapter! I won't explain yet why I chose that city in particular, but there's a reasoning behind it, which I shall reveal in a later chapter.**

**HopelessRomantic183 - I'm glad you liked the outfits (I was afraid that I was taking to much time for the descriptions) and indeed, I tried to make Seto and Kisara's outfits match. There's a lovey-dovey moment for those two in this chapter, but not a lot. However, I hope you find yourself able to forgive, 'cause the next chapter will revolve around Seto and Kisara mostly. Am I forgiven now? :D Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter.**

**Dinah Nuzzler - Thanks for adding me to your Author Alert List and THANKS AN AWFUL FRIGGIN' LOT FOR WANTING TO TRANSLATE ONE OF MY STORIES!**

**Back to actual story business...**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
****Dinner at Fujiwaka's - Part 2  
Mokuba + Emiko +Locked Room = ?  
Twins + Gum + Locked Room = ?  
Seto + Kisara +Deserted Bridge = ? - Part 1  
Nori and the twins are found out! How to escape? Brooms and buckets are involved.  
Seto decides to not give a damn about the audience. After all, it's all about keeping Fujiwaka away from Kisara, right?  
And I'll FINALLY announce the destination of the business trip.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_Emiko's POV, 21.06 PM_

God_dammit_, I should have known! I should have bloody _known_ that he'd pull a stunt like this one! And the worst thing is that I couldn't _resist!_ How the hell did he do that! Yes, I know I'm cursing, and yes, I know I'm furious, but can you seriously blame me? I mean, the guy's not only hot as hell, he's also an _insanely_ good kisser. And that's not a bad thing, really, but what _is_ bad, is that I shouldn't be kissing him, much less enjoying it! One word: panic.

No wait, scratch that, try oblivion. Nonexistence. Heaven. I'm sure you get the idea. 'Cause that's what happens to you if you're being kissed by someone who knows exactly what he's doing. Your mind enters heaven. Reason becomes nonexistent. And most of all: you don't give a damn.

Imagine the conflict in my mind when I heard Hasako's furious yell. I pulled back from Mokuba instantly. What if father and Hasako were looking for me? What if they found out that I was here? With Mokuba, no less? I wanted to kiss him again, hell, I wanted to do a whole lot more than just innocent _kissing_, but my father's threats weren't easy to block out of my mind.

Mokuba didn't try to kiss me again when I pulled back. He just kept holding me and staring at me and I noticed that he was panting a little. So was I. I didn't look up, I didn't dare to, I just pulled us closer until there was next to no space left between our heated bodies. I almost sighed. He was so _warm_. It was so comforting. I closed my eyes and we didn't move. I felt how Mokuba lifted his hand to my head and in the end his fingers ended up in my hair and it felt almost _possessive_, but I found that I didn't mind. Not if it was him.

I don't know how long we kept standing there in that position. It was as if time had stopped. I couldn't hear any noise from the other room, and I didn't know whether it was because of the moment or because there really was no one there and I didn't give a damn either way. All I cared about at the moment was that I was there and Mokuba was there and that we loved each other. Nothing else mattered. Absolutely nothing else.

But nothing lasts forever, so when Mokuba pulled away at one point, I let go (be it with a slight sigh of disappointment). But all disappoint went went out of the window at once when we looked at each other and I thought _'Yes, I really am in love'_. He smiled and leaned down again. I didn't object and met his lips halfway, no longer thinking about my father or anything else that didn't have anything to do with us and this moment. But can you blame me? Like I said, Mokuba is an _insanely_ good kisser.

}:{

_Original POV, same moment_

The twins said their goodbyes to Saeko (of course there was no way they could take her with them at the moment) and promised to be back as soon as possible to rescue her. Saeko even smiled when the door closed and Raiku needed a lot of persuading from her sister to take out her pocket knife to lock the door again.

Their way back downstairs was quiet for the most part, but when they arrived at the first floor, a lot of yelling and screaming could be heard, although it sounded very muffled. Having become curious, Raiku and Risa decided to take a look. The noise came from the room that Fujiwaka and Hasako shared, as they soon found out. Apparently, Hasako was locked up in the bedroom. The girls frowned. Somehow, Fujiwaka just didn't seem kinky enough to lock up his mistress in the bedroom 'for later use'. On second thought, Fujiwaka didn't seem the type to lock up his mistress for whatever reason! The girls slowly turned their head to look at each other, smirked, grinned evilly, and then pulled out some chewing gum out of the inner pockets of their jackets. After a minute or two of chewing, they put both pieces of gum in the keyhole. Side-mission accomplished!

}:{

Meanwhile, Fujiwaka had thrown all subtlety out of the window in his next-to-drunk state and now he was openly flirting with Kisara. Kisara was, at the same time, trying to get away from the guy as far as possible, but the man was very persistent. He didn't even back off when Seto was standing right next to Kisara. He just couldn't take a bloody hint! Then all of a sudden, the following happened.

Kisara was pretty much with her back against the wall, Seto standing less than a foot away from her and Fujiwaka was standing right in front of her with a glass of whisky in his hand and his breath reeking of alcohol. Note that all the other guests were in the room, that both Mika and Yisuba were keeping their distance and that Fujiwaka was ignoring Seto completely! As you all now: big mistake! Also, it would be very inappropriate for Seto to hit the host just because the host in question was flirting with a taken woman.

"Kisara," Fujiwaka drawled (what happened to 'miss Ishinagi'?), "Did I already tell you that you look incredible beautiful tonight?"

"Fujiwaka-san, please address a lady with the proper respect!" Seto snapped at the man. For Fujiwaka to call Kisara by her first name, _how dare he!_ Fujiwaka just kept ignoring the younger man as Kisara answered his question.

"About six or seven times now, Fujiwaka-san," she said uncomfortably. This seemed to surprise him.

"Really?" Fujiwaka asked, raising his eyebrows, "Well, I honestly can't remember. How rude! But, Kisara, you must know that I meant it every single time,"

Kisara gulped as the man took another swing of his drink. He was _drunk_. And not a little. Very much drunk. And it only got worse, because he leaned in closer. Surely he wouldn't try something with Seto standing right there, much less in a room that was _full of people?_ But it seemed like Fujiwaka _was_ in fact trying something, and both Seto and Kisara knew it. Before Seto could do something, however, Kisara raised her hand and slapped Fujiwaka with all she had. That was quite a lot, if Fujiwaka's fall to the floor was anything to go by. The room fell silent instantly as everyone looked at Kisara who was still standing there with a raised hand and a _furious_ look in her eyes.

"Fujiwaka-san!" she yelled, "That was more than inappropriate! Not only because you tried to kiss a woman who's already taken, but also because you already have a wife! And I do not desire _in the least_ to be one of your _whores_ for the night! By the looks of it, _Hasako-san_ seems to be quite capable of that on her own! Do not try to touch me ever again!"

With that, she lowered her hand, panting a little, and it wasn't until then that she saw all the others gaping at her (well, Mika was just giving her a thumbs-up) and Seto looking at her with nothing less than admiration in his eyes. Fujiwaka was pretty much crushed with surprise.

"Taken?" he choked out as if such a thing was entirely unthinkable, "By who?"

Well, what's left to be done in such a situation? As Kisara turned red, Seto decided to no longer care about something as stupid as _reputation_. So instead, he put his arm around Kisara's waist and before anyone knew what was happening, he'd leaned down and was now kissing her with everything he had. Too bad no one was looking at Fujiwaka's face at that moment, because it was absolutely _priceless_. When Seto pulled away after a few seconds, Kisara was speechless, because that had been pretty much the very best kiss in her entire life. Not because it had been so passionate or soul-consuming or anything, because it hadn't been anything like that, but because of the feeling she could feel through that kiss. Granted, it was a kiss to get a certain point across, but it was also a kiss out of total and utter _love_. Then a quiet "awww" could be heard (coming from someone whose name starts with "Yo" and ends with "Ri") and everyone either smiled, grinned, giggled or looked totally clueless. Kisara pulled away from Seto with a downright ferocious blush on her cheeks. Seto himself just looked incredibly smug. _Take that_, he thought while looking at Fujiwaka.

"Didn't you know?" he asked, "Miss Ishinagi and I are together,"

And as if to prove it, he grabbed Kisara's hand and refused to let go. Fujiwaka finally managed to get up, excused himself and wobbled out of the room, causing Yisuba to laugh out loud, most of the other guest following his example.

}:{

Nori hadn't been present during any of this, since he was now back to the outfit he'd worn when he and the twins had come to the mansion. He was talking to the girls in question through the intercom.

"And you've delivered the cell phone?" he asked them.

"Yes, we did," Risa responded.

"And we destroyed the bug that was in her room," Raiku added. Nori nodded, forgetting once again that the on at the other end could never see such a thing.

"Good," he said, "Then our work here is done. Let's call it a day and go home. Meet me in the room with the white door,"

"Yes, sir!"

}:{

As the girls came out of the tiny room they'd been hiding in during the conversation (the one with the three closets they'd found earlier) they came eye to eye with a not so happy looking man. A guard. Shit. Raiku quickly reached for the intercom.

"Nori!" she shouted, "Run!"

In the next second, Risa kicked the taller man between his legs and hit him in the face with her elbow, knocking the man unconscious. As the man fell to the ground, more footsteps could be heard, telling the twins that a lot of other guards were on their way. The girls made a run for the stairs. Time to go!

}:{

I shouldn't need to tell you that the young couple in the locked study was completely unaware of all the things happening in the rest of the house. Mokuba and Emiko were still kissing, but it was nowhere near innocent. Their kiss had somehow become heated and now they were all but devouring each other's mouth. They were no longer standing, too. They were sitting on their knees in the middle of the room, arms wrapped tightly around the other and kissing like their lives depended on it. It wasn't fooling around anymore. This time, their feeling were crystal clear. This time, it was _real_. Previously, there had been lust. Now, there was also love present. A lot of it.

Somewhere along the way, the first two or three top buttons of Mokuba's shirt had come out of their holes, which would have given Emiko a _very_ nice view, hadn't she been paying attention to the question of _'Please, gods, could you let this last a little longer?'_. Her right arm was wrapped around Mokuba's waist, were her left hand was slowly going up and down her boyfriend's torso. And _damn_, she liked that! Mokuba had both arms wrapped around his girlfriend, making sure she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It was all going too slow, in Emiko's opinion. Had she said it out loud, Mokuba would've agreed with her. So Emiko fisted his shirt with he left hand and slowly leaned backwards, pulling Mokuba with her. He didn't resist, he let her control everything (sounds quite a lot like his brother, don't you think?). It only took a few seconds before Emiko was lying on her back with Mokuba on top of her.

Neither would ever knew how, but all of a sudden, Mokuba's shirt had come off and Emiko's necklace as well, just like her shoes. Mokuba was keeping his girlfriend down by pinning her wrists to the floor with his hands while he was slowly kissing her neck. Emiko was panting and even occasionally moaning. Mokuba decided that he liked that sound. In order to hear it again (and a little louder, sadistic bastard that he was), he slowly bit down. Not too hard, but hard enough to make her gasp. He had trouble reminding himself that he couldn't leave marks, no matter what.

Every time Mokuba bit down on her neck (he was biting a little harder every single time), Emiko scratched his back. He nails weren't exactly long, but long enough to make him hiss from the slight pain, which he enjoyed immensely (okay, so maybe he was a masochist after all).

When Mokuba bit down particularly hard, Emiko moaned loudly and her legs twitched, causing them to spread, so that suddenly, Mokuba was lying _right between her legs!_ Emiko's dress had crawled up her legs quite a bit, so that her panties were now almost visible. Mokuba's mind was clouded with lust. The situation reminded him of the park. He'd been _this_ close! But now, it wasn't all that likely that they would be interrupted. And Mokuba wasn't quite sure how happy he should be about that.

Now, contrary to what most people believed, Mokuba was no longer a virgin (thanks to someone whose name starts with "Yo" and ends with "Ri"), but Emiko was (thanks to her good, old_, filthy, no-good, dirty rotten_ _wanker of a _father), and Mokuba was fully aware of that. So when Emiko let her hand travel in the direction of his pants, while it turned him on beyond belief, Mokuba pulled away a little. He was panting. Heavily. He noticed only just now that he'd been busy lowering the straps of Emiko's dress in order to pull it down (he already knew that she wasn't wearing a bra). He gulped.

"Mokuba, please don't stop," Emiko groaned. Taking in a shuddering breath to somehow clear his mind even the tiniest bit, Mokuba slowly shook his head.

"If I do that," he groaned, "I won't be able to stop,"

Emiko groaned again, only this time in frustration.

"Then don't stop!" she said. Mokuba shook his head again.

"Not like this," he said, "Regardless of how incredible this feels… I won't take you like this,"

Emiko looked up in confusion.

"Like… this?" she asked uncertainly.

"You know that if we continue… we'll be going all the way, right?"

She nodded.

"And it would be your first time… right?"

Another nod.

"Then I'm not doing it," Mokuba said, "Not on the floor in some study,"

He leaned down a little, looking deep into Emiko's eyes.

"If I'm going to be your first time," he whispered, "I want it to be perfect for you. And while what we are doing now might seem okay at the moment, we'd both regret afterwards. Okay?"

Emiko thought about it, looked up, and nodded. She had a smile on her face, although it was a bit sad. Mokuba smiled too, his being a loving smile.

"I'll be your first," he whispered, before he kissed her (just a quick peck, so don't you guys get your hopes up!) and got up. Emiko got up as well. They put on any articles of clothing that were missing and Emiko combed with her fingers through her hair.

"You go out first, you'll be the first one they'd miss," Mokuba said. Emiko nodded and unlocked the door. But before she could open it, Mokuba grabbed her wrist and quickly turned her around again before he crashed his lips on hers. After a few heated seconds, he let go.

"I love you," he whispered, "Now go,"

Emiko left the study. The room she entered was empty, but voices could be heard not too far away. Emiko felt a smile come up that was full of total happiness.

}:{

As romantic as Emiko and Mokuba's situation was, we shouldn't forget that our favorite Mistresses of Marvelous Mischief (aka Raiku and Risa) were in _big_ trouble and on the run. So far, they'd kicked five guards' ass (which I may or may not mean literally) and broken two vases. Now they were hiding in a closet on the fourth floor (the mansion had six, minus the attic). Outside the room, a lot of noise could be heard. The plan was to wait until the noise would distance itself from the closet and then come out and make a run for the nearest exit (which they'd found with the help of their maps), but just in case, Risa was holding a heavy broom and Raiku two buckets while she held her pocket knife between her teeth. The mentioned preparation was a wise decision, because the door burst open, revealing a man that was at _least_ 6 and a half feet tall and with matching broad shoulders. Risa didn't waist one moment and thrust the wooden end of her broomstick hard in the man's stomach, causing him to lose his balance. Raiku aimed and threw one of her buckets, hitting the man hard in his face. By the force of the impact, combined with the balance problem, the man fell backward, crushing one of his colleagues and causing two other men to fall as well. Raiku quickly grabbed two other buckets and then the girl all but _flew_ out of the closet and dashed down the hallways and down the stairs (managing to knock out two other guards). However, when they reached the second floor, the twins found their way blocked by a wall of guards. Gulping, they run in the direction of a large window on their right (to cause the guards to take cover and also just for the heck of it, Raiku threw another two buckets at the awaiting guards, hitting one in the face and another in the leg). The window led them to a balcony. The girls turned around (Raiku quickly put away her knife) and fought like lions. However, two teenage girls are next to no match against a small army of guards, and after about twenty minutes, the guards finally managed to overwhelm to two sisters.

On their way down ("their" meaning, Raiku, Risa, and eight guards), Nori saw them. He gone look for the girls since it took them so long to meet up with him. He quickly hid behind a wall and looked around for anything useful. His eyes fell on some heavy curtains with some thick cords. He also saw a vase. Perfect.

Having come downstairs again, the guards were surprised by a crashing sound, broken ceramic and a knocked out colleague. Next came the fist of the man who'd thrown the now broken vase. The twins used both the diversion and their speed to pull themselves out of the grips of their opponents. Next thing the poor guys knew, Raiku had pulled out her pocket knife and cut loose the men's shoe laces. This proved to be a disadvantage for the men as they tripped over them. Within a minute and a half. Nori and the girls had knocked out all eight guards.

"Quick, help me with this!" Nori said, and held up the curtain cords. In no time at all, the men were tied up and Nori, Raiku and Risa out of the building and on the run.

}:{

_00.11 AM_

There was an awkward silence present in the limo as Seto, Mika, Kisara (who'd been offered a ride, read: forced to come with), Mokuba and Yori were on their way home, all in one piece. The party had been quite fun once Fujiwaka and Hasako had been out of the picture, but when the eight tied up guards had been found, most of the guests had found it better to take their leave. Mokuba was still looking weird at the knowledge that his big brother had a girlfriend and Seto was looking weird at the question as to _why_ his baby brother had been gone for such a long time (although he wasn't sure whether or not he even wanted to know). Kisara was just sitting there and Mika and Yori had big grins plastered on their faces (for different reasons).

Soon enough, Yori and Mika were both home safe and sound and that's when something unexpected happened. When the car was on its way to Kisara's house, Seto ordered the chauffeur to stop the car. He got out of the car and told Kisara to do the same. Although she didn't quite get it, she did as he said. Mokuba gave his brother a look that said as much as _"Do I want to know?"_ but didn't say a thing when Seto told the chauffeur to take Mokuba home.

"What's this about?" Kisara asked Seto once they were on their way.

"I just felt like walking you home," Seto said shrugging. Kisara blushed.

"T-thank you," she stuttered. They walked on in silence for a little while. When they crossed a bridge (that was very much deserted), Seto suddenly stopped Kisara by turning her around and kissing her full on the mouth.

}:{

Mika flipped throught her agenda and her eyes fell on one date inparticular.

_Wednesday, May 18 - Business trip USA. City: Las Vegas.

* * *

_***sigh* And another chapter done. Man, this is going fast!**

**Poll news  
Unless I decide otherwise somewhere along the way, the poll will stay open until the 20th of November, 2010. Why? Because that's my 19th birthday and it seems like a nice day to close the poll. Please vote, I'd really like to know your opinion on my OC's. Don't be shy, it is allowed to like the bad guys.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
****Seto + Kisara + Deserted Bridge = ? - Part 2  
Kisara gets home very early in the morning. The twins demand an explanation!  
Whose date am I planning?  
The tournament is about to begin, and Seto is participating, leaving Kisara in Domino. My prediction: not good!**

**I'm not sure how long the next chapter will be, but I'll do my best to keep it entertaining ^^**

**Every author loves feedback and I'm no different, so please feel free to leave a review.**

**See you next time!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	16. Chapter 14

**This chapter is done now as well. It revolves around Seto and Kisara, and it isn't very long, but I think it's very sweet nonetheless. I hope you all agree with me.**

**Special thanks...**

**... Kandabunnies - Thank you so much for adding StarCrossed to your Favorite Stories List! This makes me very happy!**

**... Eragonfan - Yeah, well, I actually didn't go with Vegas until a certain idea struck me like a bolt of lightning (I know I'm being weird, don't ask). And come on, it's VEGAS! Something's bound to happen there. I'm glad you like the Mokuba/Emiko scene, I did my very best on it. Thank you so much for the amazing compliments (I'm really #1? OMG, that's just so... AAAHHH!) and also thank you for the review itself. It made me really happy, so thank you once again.**

**... HopelessRomantic183 - First and foremost: the pool/hot tub idea is SO going to be there! Awesome idea, thanks a bunch! Next: I'm glad that you like the Mokuba/Emiko time as well, even though they are not your favorite couple. There won't be a similar Seto/Kisara scene in this chapter (I mean, come on, they're on a fucking _bridge_!), but as for myself, I find this chapter very sweet, so I'll just have to hope that you'll agree with me. But don't be sad: now that I have that pool/hot tub idea (how about a pool scene AND a hot tub scene?), there's DEFINITELY going to be some not-so-childfriendly-scenes! *giggle* I don't know yet how long the trip will be, probably a few days, but thinking of having one chapter take place in Vegas and the next one in Domino and then the one after that in Vegas again and so on. It'll propably be something like that, but I haven't decided yet. Thanks for the reviews!**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
****The meaning of 'romantic'.  
Seto + Kisara + Deserted Bridge = ? - Part 2  
Seto snaps...  
... after which he grows a backbone.  
Kisara gets home very early in the morning. The twins demand an explanation!**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!  
**

_

* * *

Saturday, May 14, 00.15 AM_

_Narrator's POV_

What is romantic? To find that out, I as a narrator suggest we take a look at the definition of 'romantic'. The dictionary gives more than one definition. As an adjective, the word 'romantic' means, among other things that are less significant, the following:

1. Fanciful; impractical; unrealistic.  
2. Characterized by a preoccupation with love or by the idealizing of love or one's beloved.  
3. Displaying or expressing love or strong affection.  
4. Ardent; passionate; fervent.  
5. Imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous.

There are also some synonyms for the word 'romantic', like extravagant, exaggerated, wild, imaginative, fantastic, improbable and unreal.

From all this, we can see if and in what way a situation could be considered 'romantic' (of course, we mustn't forget that's it's always a matter of perspective as well, but let's not care about that for now).

According to this list, a deserted bridge isn't very romantic. In fact, it isn't romantic at all. After all, a deserted bridge could also appear in a horror story, meaning that there's something terrible about to happen. Or it could appear in a sad story, in that case it could symbolize loneliness. In a romantic story, however, a deserted bridge provides the writer with an excellent excuse to write a hot make out scene. And this, my friends, is what I mean with the matter of perspective: the meaning of bridge changes with the change of perspective.

When one takes a look at the fifth definition of 'romantic' in the aforementioned list, one will see that one of the meanings of romantic is imaginary. Of course, looking at it that way, one could say that fictional stories are always coming from one's imagination and that therefore all fictional stories are romantic, but that is once again a matter of perspective, so let's not go there, alright?

The case at hand can definitely be considered romantic. Imagine this: deserted bridge, guy, girl, guy and girl are in love, kiss. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: it's in the middle of the night. Just past midnight, which is a little cliché, but I suggest we'll get into the meanings of the word 'cliché' some other time.

Anyway, Seto and Kisara are standing on a deserted bridge in the middle of the night, they are in love, and they are kissing each other. To them, the situation seemed unreal, something that only ever happened in their dreams and/or fantasies. Therefore, they might call their situation romantic.

There was passion, oh yes, there was a lot of it. Not so much at first, mind you, but the passion was building rather quickly, taking over the couple's senses and taking over their minds and their bodies and in the end, passion was controlling them.

Now, a kiss is considered a display of affection. A kiss on the mouth that lasts several seconds can be considered a display of a lot of affection or love. And a kiss on the mouth that involves a lot of tongue and that lasts minutes on end means that those involved a) are lusting after each other, b) love each other very much or c) a combination of the other two options. Now, I myself am only a narrator and not exactly a professional when it comes to kissing, but I'd choose option c in the case of Seto and Kisara.

}:{

Babbling's over, back to the actual story.

}:{

_Original POV_

As said, it was the middle of the night, and it wasn't very cold, considering the time of the year, but frankly, Seto and Kisara didn't care one bit, if they even noticed at all. They were standing on that deserted bridge, on the sidewalk, their arms wrapped around each other and their mouths locked.

When Seto kissed her, Kisara was a bit startled at first, but then she melted into it and kissed him back.

As for Seto, he didn't really know what got into him, but he knew that this had been on his mind ever since he'd kissed Kisara in front of Fujiwaka and the others.

Both had opened their mouth at some point and that's when control started to quickly become nonexistent. Seto found it to be less and less significant to pull away for air every once in a while and Kisara wasn't exactly complaining. But then again, she already knew exactly how to kiss. Seto was still learning. But he decided that oxygen would have to wait the very second Kisara softly moaned into his mouth. However, the young woman pulled away only a few seconds later. Seto looked down in confusion.

"We have to stop," Kisara whispered panting, "If we don't… Seto, I just… I feel like I could drop to the ground any second if you'd keeping kissing me like that!"

Seto didn't know if he should be disappointed or not by that comment. On one hand, it meant that Kisara thought him to be a very good kisser, to put it mildly. But on the other hand, she didn't want to continue! Well, okay, she obviously wanted to, but not like _this_.

Luckily, Seto wasn't one to admit defeat that easily. He gently pushed Kisara backwards until she was standing with her back against the low wall that kept the people on the bridge from falling off of it.

"Better?" he asked. She nodded, and that was all he needed as he aimed for her mouth again. Kisara met him halfway, sliding her tongue against his exploring his mouth for the umpteenth time. This time is was Seto who moaned softly. Kisara smirked a small smirk against his mouth. He felt that and decided to take revenge.

He pushed Kisara a little harder against the low wall, causing her to gasp. Not only because of that, but Seto had just also put one of his legs between both of her legs. To contact was bit intimate and Kisara blushed. It only got worse (better?) when Seto deepened the kiss further. Kisara then wrapped her arms securely around her boyfriend's neck and pulled him even closer against her body. Needless to say that he could feel her entire body from her head all the way down to her feet. Talk about intimate…

They really had to stop kissing, since their lungs threatened to shut down, but the temperature inside their little bubble didn't drop one bit. They just looked into each other's eyes and held each other close. They were panting a little, but neither knew exactly how far they'd go tonight (you know, with the bridge and all, not to mention the people they shared their respective houses with).

"Kisara?" Seto spoke up softly. Kisara hummed, a soft and cute hum, wordlessly telling him that she was listening. Seto licked his suddenly dry lips, not really knowing how to continue without insulting his girlfriend. _Girlfriend… shit, I actually have a girlfriend now!_

"What you said to Fujiwaka earlier," Seto started, referring to what Kisara had said after she'd slapped the guys, "You meant that… right?"

Now, a lesser woman than Kisara might've been offended by that, but Kisara saw how insecure Seto was about it and all she could think of was how incredibly cute it was. She smiled and kissed him sweetly on his lips.

"Every word," she assured him, "I prefer a man I can rely on,"

This caused Seto to smile as well.

"Do you think you can rely on me?" he asked. She seemed to think about it, smirked and then she actually shook her head.

"I _know_ I can," she said, kissing him once more. Seto kissed her back, but pulled away again after a few seconds. He needed to ask it. He _had_ to ask it!

"There's something else," he told Kisara, who looked up at him with a mixture of disappointment, lust, love and anticipation in her eyes. Seto took a deep breath and looked deeply into Kisara's eyes, causing her to gasp a little.

"If I asked you to quit your job at Fujiwaka's company…," Seto asked, "… would you do it?"

Kisara had no idea how to answer that. Instead, she looked at Seto in surprise. The young man in question was quickly getting desperate. _Desperate_, of all things!

"Kisara, _please!_" he whispered hotly.

"But…" she spoke softly, "… it's my job…"

"Then don't you want to work for me?" he asked. No, that idea had honestly never crossed her mind before. Sure, she could do that, but…

"Wouldn't that be odd?" she asked uncertainly, "I mean, you'd be my boss then, right? Wouldn't our relationship be bad? I mean, I'm nothing special, so the reputation of both you _and_ KaibaCorp…"

"I don't care!" Seto suddenly yelled, "But I'm _not_ letting you go anywhere near Fujiwaka again!"

Before Kisara could respond, he continued.

"I'm just… scared, I guess. You're not the first woman he's after, and I'm sure you won't be the last, but… I'm scared that…"

"That what?" Kisara interrupted him with a bit of coldness in her blue eyes, "That I'll _give in_ to that man?"

Seto cringed. Without either of the noticing, he'd grabbed Kisara's shoulders. Her words hurt. They summoned tons of images to Seto's head. And those images _tortured_ him. He actually felt like crying.

"That's not it," he whispered, "I'm afraid that he'll force himself on you and there won't be anyone to help you,"

Kisara's eyes softened at that. Seto really _did _care for her.

"As for the reputation thing you talked about…" Seto continued, "I don't give a damn about that. I…"

_I love you. Say it, you coward! I love you, say it!_

"…I just want to be together with you. I want to be able to protect you… I just…"

He didn't know what to say anymore. All he knew was that the very _thought_ of Kisara and Fujiwaka being in the same building was enough to make him feel like he wanted to kill someone. Preferably Fujiwaka.

"Just quit there!" he yelled, causing Kisara to flinch, which in turn caused Seto to feel guilty about his outburst. Then Kisara slowly raised hand and touched his face gently, trying to and succeeding in calming him down.

"Seto," she said, "I'd _never_ let a man touch me if I don't want to be touched by him,"

"I know that…"

"But… if it's such a big deal to you…"

She sighed.

"Okay," she whispered. Seto looked up.

"Okay," she said again, "If it makes you feel better, then… okay. I'll do it. I'll quit. I'll stay at KaibaCorp."

Seto stood there right in front of her, his eyes shining with immense relief and happiness and _love_. Then he wrapped his arms around Kisara (in such a way that she could barely move her arms, but who cares?) and kissed her roughly on her mouth. Kisara pulled away a little after a few seconds, but she just couldn't resist and gave her boyfriend a quick peck on his lips.

"Seto," she whispered, "There's something that I want you to remember at all times,"

Seto looked up. She looked rather serious.

"What is it?" he asked. Kisara brought their lips closer again, until they were less than a centimeter apart.

"I love you, and you only," she whispered, and sealed their lips once more.

}:{

_1.19 AM_

Thanks to the time they spent on the bridge, it wasn't until much later that Seto and Kisara _finally_ arrived at Kisara's house. Kisara turned around to face Seto. With the sweetest and most loving smile gracing her lips she leaned in and kissed his lips. Then she whispered a sweet goodbye and turned around to go inside. Seto, however, had other things in mind. He grabbed Kisara's wrist and pulled her back. Hard. Kisara gasped in shock and less than a second later she was standing there in front of her house with her back flush against Seto's front, his arms tightly wrapped around her.

_She said it. Why didn't you say it back? You wanted to say it back, you wanted it so badly, so why didn't you just __**do**__ it, you coward?_

_Say it. Say it now, before she gets inside and it'll be too late if she does that._

"Seto?" Kisara asked. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer and he didn't let her turn around. He wanted to say, but it was as if his voice refused to cooperate.

"It's just…" he said softly, "It's just that… there's something I want to say. Something I have to tell you. And I have to tell you _now_."

"Okay," she said, "Take your time."

And that was it. They were standing there. Seto was trying to say what he so desperately wanted to tell her, even though he didn't know how to say it. And Kisara was just standing there, waiting until Seto was ready. She had all the time in the world. Then Seto made up his mind and slowly turned Kisara around. He hesitated for a moment before kissing her full on the lips, trying to get the point across. But something didn't feel right. He was trying to show her, but that wasn't right, she had to _hear_ it, he had to _say_ it, otherwise it would be meaningless. So Seto pulled back, feeling utterly and completely frustrated with himself. He wanted to do this relationship-thing right, but he didn't know how to do it. Using Mokuba's beloved Disney movies to show him how it was down seemed overdone, but he was quickly running out of options.

_Guess I'll just have to grow a backbone, then._

Kisara heard Seto whisper something, but it was too soft for her to hear it.

"What?" she asked. Seto looked up, biting his lip, obviously nervous.

_I've never done this before._

"I said…" he whispered, "… that… I love you,"

Kisara's eyes went wide and she started blushing once again, but she was too distracted to mind.

"I love you," Seto said again, a bit more confident this time, "At the bridge… you said, but…"

Kisara smiled and nodded. She understood. She leaned in again and gave him one last sweet kiss.

"I understand," she said, and he knew she did, "I love you, too."

Then she turned around and went inside, waving once before closing the door. Seto sighed. He had never felt any happier in his entire life.

}:{

Convinced that her cousins had gone to bed a long time ago, Kisara did her best to be quiet as she prepared to go to bed herself (all alone, regrettably, but such was just her (lack of) luck). But just when Kisara wanted to turn the lights off and climb into bed, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady,"

Kisara spun around quickly and found herself looking at her identical twin cousins, both girls only wearing identical grey boxers and tops. And also with identical grins on their identical faces. In other words: they wanted an explanation and they wanted it _now_.

Kisara was blushing, and this time she _did_ mind it. Then the twins suddenly started squealing.

"Oh my god, Kis, you _kissed_, didn't you?" Raiku exclaimed in excitement.

"What _more_ did you do?" Risa asked mischievously.

"Nothing!" Kisara said, still trying to fight her heavy blush and failing miserably.

"Yeah, right," Risa said, obviously not buying it (the twins had texted Yori to ask when the group had left the party, that's how they knew Kisara was very, very late).

"Hey, come on, you can tell us!" Raiku said. "I mean, of course you wouldn't want to do _you-know-what _ with a guy in a house we are in as well…"

"… especially after the _last_ time you did that…" Risa added. In case you are wondering, when Kisara was seventeen (and the twins twelve), she had a boyfriend, and there was this time when the guy came over to do some 'homework' with Kisara. However, the twins were visiting at that time as well, along with their parents and brother. And the girls happened to walk into Kisara's room without so much as knocking, thereby finding both their cousin and her boyfriend on the bed with next to no clothes left. And Kisara did not have a lock on her door, in case you're wondering. So needless to say, that had been the very last time that Kisara had 'done' anything with a guy in a house where there were other people as well if there was no lock on the door.

"Okay, okay, I got it!" Kisara yelled, holding up her hands in defeat. The girls beamed.

"We kissed," Kisara said slowly, "and that's it. That's all that happened. No groping, no sex, nothing. Just kissing. Honest!"

The twins took some persuading, but they believed their cousin after she'd repeated the same thing over and over and over again for about fifteen minutes straight. Then the teens looked very disappointed.

"That's no fun at all!" Raiku said. Her sister nodded in agreement. Kisara just sighed in relief, before she turned the table on the girls and asked a question of her own.

"And what exactly were you two doing at the Fujiwaka mansion?" she asked. Both girls suddenly yawned in unison.

"It's late," Risa said.

"It is," her sister agreed.

"We'll be having a busy weekend…"

"… so we need some sleep now,"

"Goodnight, Kis,"

And with that, the girls dashed out of the room, Kisara following them. Needless to say that none of them got much sleep that night.

* * *

**Short but sweet, if you ask me. I was in a weird mood when writing this, which is why the narrator suddenly has a say in this. I you like him (of course it's a guy, what woman in her right mind would interrupt a romantic scene on a bridge like that, haha), just say so, then maybe you'll see him again somewhere along the way.**

**Poll status  
Open. Please vote, I'd love to know who are your favorite OC's out of the ones I created. The poll will close on November 20, 2010.**

**Questions (yes, AGAIN, just put the answers in a review or PM me. I don't mind it if you use are the characters permitted, HopeLessRomantic183 :))  
- Without comparing it to the Seto/Kisara pairing, how do you like the Mokuba/Emiko pairing?  
- How do you like my version of Kisara?  
- If I were to write a lemon (I'm a bit anxious to do that, since the only lemon I've ever written was boy/boy, so yeah...), then what would you prefer: a lemon that provides you with a general idea and having to fill in the "details" for yourself (aka, using your own imagination) OR a lemon that provides you with everything so that you guys can sit back and relax (aka using MY imagination)?  
- Would you like me to start with the business trip first, or would you prefer a bit of Operation Free Emiko first?  
- Once Raiku and Risa are back to Sapporo (which will happen sooner or later), would you like them to make a reappearance somewhere in the story?  
- Do you have any ideas, tips, requests, KaibaCorp Survival Guide Rules or anything else?  
-Thank you-**

**New ideas for side stories  
- The bridge scene again, from Seto's POV.  
- The bridge scene again, from Kisara's POV. These two ideas will probably be a two-shot.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"**

**Kisara is being told about the business trip to Las Vegas, Nevada.  
What's with the cellphone in Emiko's room?  
The dinner aftermath: Fujiwaka/Hasako style.  
There's Seto, there's Kisara, and there's a deck. Of cards.  
****Whose date am I planning?  
The tournament is about to begin, and Seto is participating, leaving Kisara in Domino. My prediction: not good!**

**Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed.**

**I love reviews, Alerts, Favorites and all that jazz.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	17. Chapter 15

**Guess who's back, peoples! I was on vacation for the past two weeks or so and I had no access to the internet whatsoever. But now I'm back with a new chapter of StarCrossed! It's not a very long one, but since I only just got back, I decided to start slowly. For now...  
**

**Special Thanks**

**DragonHeart64 - Thank you for adding StarCrossed to your Favorites Stories List and Story Alert List. Thank you for adding me to your Favorite Authors List and Author Alert List, and thanks for the review as well. Thank you for the effort of answering my questions. Your enthusiasm has made me very happy :D**

**You Belong To Me - Thank you for adding StarCrossed to your Story Alert List. It is very much appreciated.**

**Dinah Nuzzler - Thank you for ****adding StarCrossed to your Story Alert List and thank you for adding me to your Author Alert List. Also thanks a lot for translating one of my stories. I got a Spanish review for it that I believe was a positive one. Thank you so much for the effort.**

**Dragongal - Thanks for the review. I'm glad I was able to surprise you in a positive way :)**

**Eragonfan - Yup, she sure as hell is leaving him! I'll tell you that Seto will get really protective in this chapter, but I won't give away anything more for now ;) I have to admit that my jaw dropped at sight of the time and energy you put in helping me. Thanks a lot for all those recommendations!**

**HopelessRomantic183 - The side stories will have to wait for now, but thank you for your enthusiasm. Thank you for answereing the questions and your endless support. Heh, I keep repeating myself when it comes to thanking you, but I mean every single word :)**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Fujiwaka appears to be smarter than we thought.  
And much more evil.  
Emiko is in love. The bad news is that it shows.  
The rescue-squad will have to speed things up a bit, 'cause Saeko is in danger!  
Mika seems to know the twins better than she thought.  
Seto gets protective. Too protective, thinks Kisara.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

_Saturday, May 14, 11.37 AM_

_Original POV_

Fujiwaka woke up with one hell of a headache. The next thing he noticed was that he was lying on a bed, still with his suit and even his shoes on, and that it wasn't _his_ bed that he was lying on. It wasn't even his room! Before Fujiwaka could throw a tantrum, however, a man came in. Fujiwaka had never bothered looking at his servants much, let alone memorizing their names and faces, but he vaguely remembered this man being his valet. The man in question, in his fifties and not scared of anything, not even of Fujiwaka, bowed quickly and opened the curtains. Fujiwaka moaned as the bright sunlight attacked his eyes. Great, a hangover.

The valet came to stand next to the bed and bowed again.

"Good morning, Fujiwaka-san," he said, "Did you sleep well?"

Fujiwaka weakly shooed the man away from the bed and sat up.

"Shall I have one of the maids prepare a bath for you, milord?" the older man asked. Fujiwaka just nodded.

"Where's Hasako?" he then asked. The valet offered his master his arm to help him stand up before he answered.

"Milady appears to have been locked up in your bedroom, milord. Not only that, but the culprit stuffed the keyhole with chewing gum. We decided not to go through all the trouble of removing the gum and just to take the door out of its hinges instead. But since milord was so wise to put an alarm on the hinges to protect his property from thieves, it'll take a while to dismantle the alarm and get to milady Hasako-san."

By the time the man had finished explaining, Fujiwaka was pretty much jaw-dropping.

"But… who could have done such a thing in _my house_?" he squeaked

"I've taken the liberty to start investigating, milord, but I have yet to get the results."

"Make sure you find those criminals!"

"Of course, milord. Shall I accompany you to your bath?"

}:{

Emiko was sitting at her dressing table, combing her long hair. She was softly humming and had a dreamy look in her eyes. She had just taken a bath and was now wearing a modest (although ridiculously expensive) light blue dress with short sleeves. Her hair was still damp and although her hairbrush went through the long black locks as easily as a fish went through water, Emiko kept brushing. Needless to say that Kiyomi, who was quite smart, immediately knew what was wrong with her young mistress when she entered the girl's room. The young mistress was in love. Oh, dear…

"Good morning, milady," the maid greeted the girl. Emiko looked up with a gasp, having been so far away in her fantasy world that she hadn't noticed Kiyomi entering her room. Kiyomi noticed that Emiko was slightly blushing.

"Oh, good morning, Kiyomi," Emiko greeted her maid. Kiyomi then went inside Emiko's closet to put away some freshly washed clothes. When she reentered the room, Emiko was back to dreamland again. Kiyomi sighed.

"Did you have a good night sleep, milady?" she asked. Emiko sighed and nodded.

"I had such a beautiful dream," she said. Kiyomi couldn't help but ask the obvious.

"May I ask what the dream was about, milady?" she asked. Emiko's smile was wide and bright when she answered.

"My boyfriend."

Kiyomi mentally slapped her forehead. His lordship would be furious if he found out.

"I beg your pardon, milady, but I was under the impression that his lordship disapproves of milady being in such a relationship."

Emiko slowly nodded, her smile fading slightly.

"My father doesn't know," she said, "And I trust you won't tell him, Kiyomi. It's a secret."

Kiyomi bowed.

"If that is your wish, milady, then my lips are sealed."

She waited for Emiko to dismiss her, but the girl just kept brushing her hair. Then she suddenly stopped.

"Kiyomi, do you know where my father and his whore… I mean, where my father and _Hasako-san_ went? They suddenly disappeared last night," she said, having trouble not calling Hasako names. Kiyomi nodded.

"Hasako-san had a small accident and ended up being soaked with wine. She went upstairs and hasn't come down ever since. Your father drank too much alcohol and was found passed out in his study."

Emiko nodded.

"Thank you, Kiyomi. You may leave. Could you please have my breakfast served in my room? I don't feel like having breakfast in the presence of my father."

"Of course, milady. As you wish."

}:{

After Kiyomi left, Emiko put her hairbrush away and took the cell phone she'd found out of a small drawer. She had already discovered that it only had a contacts list with one phone number in it. She hadn't called the number yet.

Someone had been in her room the night before while she was at the party downstairs. It scared Emiko a little. But she had checked everything and nothing was missing or out of place. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Emiko had nearly panicked when she discovered that the photo's she kept hidden were no longer in order. But then she'd checked about five times, and not a single photo was missing.

But that still left her with that cell phone. Emiko bit her lower lip and looked at the door. Then she pressed a button and brought the phone to her ear.

}:{

Nori was staying at the house of his uncle and aunt for the time being and they had just finished breakfast when a cell phone started vibrating in his pocket. Nori quickly took it out.

"It's her," he said, and picked up.

"Name?" he asked.

"Emiko Fujiwaka."

"Birthday?"

"September 15th."

"Final question: what did your grandparents send you for your 13th birthday?"

"Two books."

"A bit more detailed, please."

"The first book was _Romeo and Juliet_ and the other one was _Jane Eyre_. I've loved English literature ever since."

"Correct. Sorry, Emiko, but I had to ask to be sure it's you. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Nori, right?"

"That's right. You can say whatever you want while using that cell phone. This line is secure. Guaranteed."

"Okay."

"Emiko, there are a few things we need to know. If all goes well, you'll be living at your grandparents' place within a week. Your mother, too."

"Mom? You know where she is?"

Nori was surprised.

"Emiko, she's in the Fujiwaka mansion, you didn't know?"

"No. she was just gone last Wednesday and father didn't answer any of my questions. But I am only allowed to go upstairs to get to my room and I have to stay downstairs otherwise."

"I see. Well, first things first. Here's what we need you to do…"

}:{

_16.13 PM_

Hasako was furious beyond belief when they finally managed to open the door. She'd been smart enough to take a bath and put on some fresh clothes while she was locked up. She immediately went to look for her lover, not even thanking the servants who'd rescued her.

She found Fujiwaka downstairs in his study, also pissed off, but no longer with a headache.

"Ken, you _have_ to catch those criminals!" she shouted while slamming the door shut. Fujiwaka raised his hand to silence her.

"No worries, love, we have already made some discoveries. It seems that there were three caterers last night who should not have been there, two of them being twin girls. Also, many guards have confirmed to have seen and gone after some intruders. They lost them, but they are sure that the intruders were twin girls. I also have a description of the third intruder, although it's quite vague."

Hasako was interested.

"May I ask what kind of description?"

"Certainly, love. The third intruder appears to have been a man between 25 and 40 years old with black hair that's a little unruly. The man is Japanese. That's all we know so far, but we'll catch those three and destroy them."

Fujiwaka smirked evilly. Hasako giggled.

"I also found out that the intruders visited my wife," Fujiwaka said suddenly. Hasako stopped giggling immediately.

"What?" she shrieked.

"I've set a small trap that only I know about on those stairs. It's so dark there that you don't see if you're not looking for it. I've covered the stairs with black oil paint, which dries incredibly slowly, and ash. Anyone who comes down those stairs leaves footprints on the wooden floor. I found footprints this morning of two people, most likely female. It seems like our twin girls visited Saeko."

"But that's horrible!" Hasako cried. "They'll go to the police! Ken, we have to get that woman out of here!"

She shut her mouth once again when Fujiwaka raised his hand.

"It will all be taken care of, my love. I have a plan to do what I should have done a long time ago. I'll just need some days to prepare it. In the meantime, Saeko will move to a hidden room that only I and some loyal servants know about. If all goes well, I'll be a widower by the end of the month."

Fujiwaka smirked again. Hasako came to sit on his lap and kissed him.

"And then?" she whispered when she pulled away. With a look of pure evil in his eyes, Fujiwaka laughed softly.

"And then, my love, I'll tell everyone that my wife was crazy. And then, I'll marry you."

They kissed again. Fujiwaka slowly let his fingers slide up his lover's leg.

"And then there will be no other woman then you, Hasako," he whispered as Hasako loosened his tie.

}:{

_Monday, May 16, 12.09 PM_

"WHERE are we going?" Kisara shouted, causing everyone in the cafeteria to look at her funny. She ignored it. Mika just smiled, sipping her coffee. She had waited until lunch to tell Kisara the news.

"We are going on a business trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA," she repeated.

"But… Las Vegas?"

"Of course. This is a game company, remember? If Las Vegas isn't the place to go for a game company, I don't know what is."

Kisara nodded dumbly. Las Vegas. Awesome!

"When?" she asked.

"Next Wednesday. Don't worry, I'll come pick you up at six in the morning."

"And… how long…"

"Are you worried about your cousins?" Mika asked. Kisara sighed and nodded. She was still a bit tired from the eventful weekend.

"We were so looking forward to spending time together, but that won't be possible if I'll be going on a business trip."

"Oh, believe me, those two won't be bored!" Mika assured her friend. Kisara gave her a weird look.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

Mika shrugged.

"Just a feeling I have. More coffee?"

"Please."

}:{

Seto didn't know if it was a good thing or not that Mika knew about his and Kisara's relationship. Mika always found an excuse to leave the office for a little while and the young couple found it extremely hard, if not near impossible, to keep their hands off of each other. It seemed like some boundaries had been destroyed at that party and on the bridge. But always, just as the making out was getting really, really good, Mika came back. It drove Seto insane.

Just when he seriously started to consider locking the door once Mika would leave again, Kisara showed up at his desk.

"Seto, I have to go for a little while," she said. Seto had suspected as much.

"Fujiwaka Company?" he asked. She nodded.

"I still have to resign," she said.

"Are you sure you don't want me or Mika to come with you?"

"Seto, we already talked about this."

"And I already told that I don't like it that you want to go there alone."

"I'll just give this letter to his secretary. Or I'll just… I don't know… maybe I'll just ask a receptionist to make sure Fujiwaka gets it. I won't go see him."

"Kisara…"

"I'll be back in one hour. Promise."

"If not…"

"And if not, you'll wait ten extra minutes before you start to worry. Okay?"

"Not okay, Kisara, I'll start worrying the second you leave this office."

"You're exaggerating."

"I'm in love. That's something different."

"I'll be _fine_."

"I can't be sure of that until you get back."

"Remember what I did to that guy who kissed me?"

"It's Fujiwaka we're talking about."

"He knows I'm taken."

"Like he'll care. Besides, he was wasted at the time. I doubt he even remembers it."

"I won't go upstairs, okay?"

"Kisara…"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Seto! Would you please shut up?"

Kisara was furious. She appreciated the concern, but this was ridiculous! Seto just looked at her.

"No," he said simply. She growled.

"Will you shut up if I kiss you?"

"Will you stay if I don't?"

Kisara then officially gave up on arguing with the man. So she gave him a quick kiss and turned to leave. Seto bit his lip. Fujiwaka could simply not be trusted. He stood up and walked over to Mika.

"Do you think those twin cousins of hers can get to the Fujiwaka Company before Kisara?" he asked.

* * *

**Oh my, I'm going to have to much FUN with this!**

**Poll status  
Open.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
****They are twins, and they are on a mission.  
They are also in danger.  
What happened to Nori?  
Kisara resigns. How will Fujiwaka react?  
There's Seto, there's Kisara, and there's a deck. Of cards.  
****Whose date am I planning?  
The tournament is about to begin, and Seto is participating, leaving Kisara in Domino. My prediction: not good!**

**Well, that's it for now. **

**SURPRISE  
The next chapter will be an explanation interlude about Hasako.**

**Please be so kind to leave a review. I love feedback.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	18. Interlude: Explanations 2

**I've decided to write another interlude, again in the form of an interview. This interlude revolves mainly around Hasako and her life with the Fujiwaka family.  


* * *

Good day, everyone! In today's interview, we'll once again speak with Lenneko-chan, a young fanfiction writer from the Netherlands. Today we'll talk about her most successful story so far, "StarCrossed". Hello, Lenneko-chan.**

Hello.

**We understand that today you'll tell us a bit more about the character you call Hasako Kurosawa.**

That is correct.

**Then let's start with an introduction, shall we? Who is Hasako?**

Hasako is the favorite mistress of Ken Fujiwaka, the father of Emiko Fujiwaka.

**Could you tell us a bit more about her past? When did she meet Fujiwaka?**

Hasako is 32 years old and she met Fujiwaka when she was 16. She fell in love with him almost instantly. She dropped out of high school, ran away from her home in Kyoto and earned her money with dancing in bars and clubs and with prostitution. She met Fujiwaka again when she was 18. She seduced him and she did that so well, that he had her live at the Fujiwaka mansion. She had a small room, like the servants. At first, Fujiwaka kept silent about Hasako being his mistress. He told his wife that Hasako would be Emiko's nanny. Emiko was only three years old and Fujiwaka started immediately with keeping the girl away from her mother.

**Then I guess that's why Emiko used to think of Hasako as her mother.**

Indeed. But that didn't last long. When Emiko was 5, she figured out that Hasako was not her mother. She understood that Hasako wasn't there for her, but for her father. But Emiko was so young at the time that she didn't understand what a mistress was.

**And Hasako has lived at the Fujiwaka mansion ever since?**

Yup. She had her own rooms by the time she was 22. Fujiwaka had her switch rooms with Saeko when Hasako was 27.

**And I assume that things only got worse for Saeko from then?**

Oh, yes. She didn't stay in her new rooms for long. Fujiwaka had her live with the servants within a year. And when Hasako was 30, Fujiwaka had Saeko moved to the attic.

**But he didn't lock her up, yet.**

Nope. He's kept her locked up ever since the Tuesday morning that Emiko didn't go to school anymore.

**How much power does Hasako have in Fujiwaka's household?**

Her power is next to absolute. Emiko doesn't have to obey her when her father isn't there, but Hasako is basically the lady of the house.

**Do Hasako and Fujiwaka love each other?**

Hasako is definitely in love with Fujiwaka. Fujiwaka loves her, too, but…

**But?**

Well, let's face it, Fujiwaka has had mistresses for years, even with Hasako there.

**That must have hurt her greatly.**

Well, actually, no. in fact, Hasako sees it as a game. She is Fujiwaka's mistress, the other women are play things. She even often helps Fujiwaka to charm his victims.

**In the last chapter, Fujiwaka reveals his plans regarding Saeko. He also says that he wants to marry Hasako. What would happen if he succeeds?**

Well, he'd use his money and influence to stay out of jail, he'd marry Hasako and then Hasako would be Emiko's stepmother.

**What would that mean for Emiko?**

She'd have to obey Hasako, she'd have to call her 'mother', it would basically mean hell for her.

**What if that all happens and Hasako gives birth to Fujiwaka's son?**

Then that boy would be the heir to the Fujiwaka company.

**And what would that mean for Fujiwaka's plans with his daughter?**

He wouldn't adopt Emiko's son as his own, or he would, but then the boy wouldn't be the heir.

**You told us about Fujiwaka's reactions when Emiko was born. What if Hasako gives birth to a girl?**

Fujiwaka loves Hasako. He already has plans for Emiko, the daughter of the woman he hates. He would love Hasako's daughter a lot, probably more than he loves Emiko, although he would want to control that girl's life as well. But in Hasako's case, he would try for a son as a second child.

**I can't help but ask: do Fujiwaka and Hasako already have illegitimate children? Extramarital, I mean?**

To tell you the truth: yes, they have.

**Really?**

Yes, really. A boy and a girl. But even if Hasako and Fujiwaka marry, the boy will never be the heir.

**Will those children appear in the story?**

No, probably not. But I'm planning some scenes that involve Hasako's motherly feelings. So indirectly, those children will make an appearance, yes.

**How old are those children?**

This might surprise you. The boy is 13 and the girl is 9 years old.

**But then the boy was born not too long after Hasako came to live with the Fujiwakas.**

Indeed. But Emiko and Saeko don't know about them. The children live in Tokyo in one of Fujiwaka's houses.

**Something else, Lenneko-chan. What does Hasako think of Kisara?**

She wants to help Fujiwaka with seducing her, but she doesn't think of Kisara as being more or less special than all the other women.

**Lenneko-chan, I would like to ask you many more things, but I'm afraid we've run out of time. If you, readers, have any questions regarding the story or its characters, don't be afraid to send a message. Lenneko-chan, thank you for your time.

* * *

Thank you all for reading. See you next time!**


	19. Chapter 16

**This chapter is, again, not terribly long, but that will change from now on.**

**WARNING!  
From now on, there will be more blood, horror and angst in this story! This story will now be rated M for very good reasons! You have been warned!**

**Special thanks**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Thank you for both reviews. Yeah, Fujiwaka is up to no good. And it's only going to get worse from here on! I'm glad that you like the interludes, and also that they are in interview format. I like to imagine that there's really someone interviewing me about my work. Gives me an ego boost xD**

**Eragonfan - Oh, trust me, the rescue squad is in for a great deal of trouble! And getting carried away isn't something you'll hear me complaining about. Like I said earlier, I like it when my readers get all worked up about my stories :D I've only watched "The Little Mermaid" once, so I can only vaguely recall what scenes you're talking about, but it's funny that you point it out. Thanks for reviewing!**

**DragonHeart64 - Wow, what a compliment! Thank you so much! I hope I will be able to keep living up to your expectations! Thank you once again!**

**Surprise, surprise  
Okay, I think I'm right if I say that you'd never have guessed what's happening in this chapter. Also, the drawing of Raiku and Risa is not forgotten, don't you worry. It's on its way.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Raiku and Risa watch over Kisara.  
Kisara sees something she _really_ didn't want to see.  
What happened to Nori? Handcuffs are involved. Am I talking about a kinky sex game?  
It's a good thing the twins are fast, 'cause they have to RUN!  
There's good news, and there's bad news... for Fujiwaka, that is.  
Do women drop phones out of habit or is there something more going on?  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!  
**

_

* * *

Monday, May 16, 13.00 PM_

_Original POV_

Raiku and Risa had hidden themselves behind some bushes near the entrance of the Fujiwaka Company, waiting for their cousin Kisara. Mika'd called them with a request from her boss to keep an eye on Kisara and the twins hadn't hesitated one second. They'd reached their destination in record time and now they were waiting. Just in case they'd have to enter the building, they'd made sure to look "presentable". They were both wearing jeans, but the jeans were quite new (in their defense), and plain marine blue shirts. They'd put on light brown jackets and their infamous cowboy-like boots.

"Attention! Target in sight!" Risa announced while pointing at a young woman with light blue hair and blue eyes. Kisara was in a hurry, apparently eager to go back to KaibaCorp asap. She walked through the entrance of the building and the twins got up. They walked inside casually, making sure to be able to see Kisara without her seeing them. Kisara got to one of the counters just as the girls hid behind a gigantic flower pot (it had a palm tree in it instead of flowers, but whatever). They heard every word their cousin and the woman behind the counter said.

"Excuse me, I have a letter for director Fujiwaka. Could you please make sure he gets it as soon as possible?" Kisara asked. The other woman made a sound of obvious disapproval.

"I don't mean to be rude, miss, but I have more important work to do than to play for delivery-boy. If it really is that important, you could always go upstairs and give it to him personally. Fujiwaka-san is in his office."

"Oh no, I really can't do that…"

"Sorry, miss. I can't help you. It's either that, or sending it to the mail room, in which case Fujiwaka-san will get it tomorrow."

"But it is really important…"

"Then you know what to do. Twenty-sixth floor, the office is at the end of the hallway to your right. Good afternoon, miss."

"What?"

"Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?"

And just like that, Kisara was forgotten. The girls behind the pot could see her look at the woman behind the desk with eyes that were wide with shock. Then, hesitating, she slowly moved towards the elevators. The twins looked around, found a door that led them to a staircase, and all but flew up the stairs to the twenty-sixth floor.

They never noticed the female guard that looked at them with suspicion, before contacting her superior.

}:{

Yisuba was getting a bit worried. Nori had gone out that morning to meet a friend of his, but he hadn't come back yet. As it was, he was two hours late already. That wasn't like Nori. Yisuba sighed and called his nephew for what felt like the millionth time.

'_The user of this number cannot pick up right now. If you'd like to leave a messa-…'_

With a frustrated growl, Yisuba hang up the phone.

"Still nothing?" his wife, Atsuko, asked. He shook his head.

"I'm getting worried," Atsuko continued. Yisuba then put a smile on his face, although it was a little forced.

"No worries," he said, "He can take care of himself."

But he didn't know who he was trying to comfort more now: his wife, or himself.

}:{

Kisara's legs were shaking when she reached the twenty-sixth floor. She'd thought of asking his secretary to give Fujiwaka the letter, but the secretary's desk was empty and there wasn't something like a mail box. Oh, crap. So, with one final gulp, Kisara opened the door to the office without knocking. The first thing she saw was the explanation for the secretary's absence.

}:{

The twins were panting by now and they'd only just reached the eighteenth floor.

"How about… we take the ele… elevator… now?" Risa asked her sister while gasping for breath. They'd stopped climbing the stairs for a moment.

"Good… idea," Raiku answered. She opened the door that led them to the eighteenth floor and closed it after them. They'd found the elevators soon enough and entered one. Risa pushed the button for the twenty-sixth floor and the doors closed slowly. They could vaguely hear the noise of many running people. The weird thing was that those people seemed to be running in the direction of the elevators. The last thing the girls saw before the doors closed was a guard.

"That's them! They are in the elevator!" he shouted as his colleagues arrived. The elevator started moving and the girls looked at each other dumbly. Then..

"Oh… _shit_!"

}:{

Kisara was standing in the doorway of Fujiwaka's office with the door handle still in hand and her mouth wide open in surprise. Fujiwaka's desk was empty, save for the woman lying on top of it with her shirt missing, her legs spread, the hem of her skirt pushed up over her hips and her panties lying on the ground. She was moaning loudly while her boss was.. "busy". The two were so busy, in fact, that they hadn't noticed Kisara. Kisara decided she'd like to keep it that way. So she quickly threw the letter on the ground and closed the door as fast and as carefully as she could. She needed some fresh air. _Now._

}:{

Nori woke up in what he thought was a room. It was so dark that it was difficult to tell. He noticed his hands were bound behind his back. Handcuffs. Great. His legs and feet were free of ropes, cuffs and the like, but Nori didn't feel like moving. Now, if him wearing handcuffs had been part of some kinky sex game, that would have been one thing. But Nori knew for a fact that he hadn't been up to sex before he passed out (he had trouble remembering thanks to the bruise that was throbbing on the back of his head), so that meant he was in big, _big_ trouble. What was worse, he noticed that the pockets of his jeans were empty. That meant that whoever had done this had taken his cell phones. His own, and the one that he, Emiko and his uncle and aunt used to communicate. Oh god. This was bad, this was really, really bad.

}:{

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Raiku and Risa dashed out, only to run into their cousin. Literally. They managed to keep their balance, but the twins immediately pulled Kisara into another elevator before getting in themselves and pushing the button for the fifth floor (they didn't think it would be safe to go to the ground floor immediately).

"What in the world are you two doing here?" Kisara asked dumbfounded.

"We are here to keep an eye on you," Risa answered.

"By order of your boyfriend," Raiku added. Kisara was sure that her jaw would fall out of its socket if it dropped any lower.

"_Seto _asked you to do this?" she asked. The twins nodded and Kisara decided that she didn't want to know any more.

"And why do I get the impression that we are on the run?" she asked instead. Here the girls looked at each other sheepishly.

"Well, we _are_ on the run…" Emiko began.

"I guess we acted a bit suspicious…" Risa added.

"You know, spying on you and all…"

"So know we have some guards on our tail…"

"Whom we hope to escape from…"

Kisara sighed.

"Look, girls…" she said, "…I'm sure there is a backdoor, so maybe we could escape from there. Or at least you two."

"Kisara! We're not leaving you alone!" Raiku said in shock.

"Well, you can't go to KaibaCorp with me."

"Yeah, alright, we know that, but…"

"We were given orders to keep an eye on you!"

"And I really appreciate your concern…"

"It's your boyfriend who's concerned, Kis."

"Yeah, we know that you can take care of yourself."

The elevator had reached the fifth floor and the trio got out. Kisara didn't know what to do now. She could easily walk out and get to KaibaCorp, but she didn't really want to leave her younger cousins alone. On the other hand, if she got back too late, Seto would freak out for sure. He sure was protective. The twins seemed to notice her struggling.

"Kisara, you just go back and we'll take care of ourselves," Risa said.

"We'll call you once we get home," her sister added. With that, the two opened the door to the staircase, checked if the coast was clear, and made a run for it. Kisara sighed, but took the elevator to the ground floor anyway.

}:{

Fujiwaka was sitting at his desk while his secretary shyly put her clothes back on. He had found Kisara's letter and was reading it with growing anger. So the woman had changed sides, eh? Fujiwaka was so occupied with thoughts of revenge that he barely noticed his secretary putting a cup of coffee in front of him before leaving. He sneered. Stupid little whore.

It really was too bad that Kisara hadn't had a permanent place at the Fujiwaka Company yet, so her resigning was completely legal. Still, this could get ugly.

The door opened all of a sudden and a guard walked in.

"Yes?" Fujiwaka asked, not really interested.

"Sir, we've spotted two intruders and now we're chasing them. What would you like us to do once we catch them?"

This got Fujiwaka's attention. Intruders? First his house, now his company. Could it be…?

"Do you have images of the intruders?" he asked. The guard nodded.

"Yes sir, security just confirmed that."

"Then I would like to see those images, please."

"Yes sir, follow me, please."

}:{

Kisara was safe and sound and on her way to KaibaCorp when she noticed some black cars with tinted windows going in the direction of the Fujiwaka Company at high speed. What in the world was going on there?

}:{

Fujiwaka was somehow sure that he'd found them. The intruders that had broken into his house. Twin girls, indeed.

"Find them," he ordered, "I'll take it from there."

He went back to his office, where he took out his cell phone.

"I found them," he told the one on the other end of the line.

}:{

Kisara was slightly on edge when she entered KaibaCorp (five minutes early, thank you very much). She went straight to the office, finding Seto alone.

"Seto, what in the world were you thinking?" she said loudly. Seto didn't really know if he should be happy to have her back unharmed or that he should be worried that she was furious.

"My cousins? That was totally unnecessary!" Kisara went on. That when he got it.

"I just wanted to make sure you'd be alright," he explained, "You weren't even supposed to see them."

"Well, we kind of bumped into each other while they were on the run from Fujiwaka's guards!"

Seto stood up from his chair, walked over to Kisara and hugged her. She tried to get away, but he would have none of it, so she gave up.

"They'll be fine," Seto tried to reassure her, "They'll be just fine. You'll see."

Kisara slowly nodded.

"Just don't do that again, okay?" she asked in defeat. "Next time… next time I'll just go with Mika, alright? Just… not my baby cousins… okay?"

He smiled. "Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise. You really are worried, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah… I love those two… I don't want anything to happen to them."

"Nothing _will_ happen to them."

She hugged him back.

}:{

Emiko was rapidly pressing buttons on the cell phone, sending Nori a text message.

**I got what you asked for.**

She got a reply quickly.

_**Remind me.**_

She shook her head. Nori couldn't be a very good detective if he forgot things so easily. Then again, it could be a password, to make sure it was her on the other end. Emiko deleted Nori's message and sent a reply.

**The list of servants who are loyal to my father and the list of those who want to help me.**

_**Good. Are you able to send them to me?**_

**Sure. E-mail?**

_**If possible.**_

**What's the address?**

Emiko walked over to her computer and opened her mailbox. She quickly uploaded the lists and then sent them to the e-mail address Nori had given her. Not five minutes later, she got a new text message.

_**Call me. Now.**_

Emiko quickly went over to the door to make sure no one could be eavesdropping and speed dialed the number.

"Hello? Nori?" she asked when she heard the phone being picked up. She heard a chuckle on the other end that sent ice cold shivers down her spine. She instantly knew it. _Not good._

"So it _was_ Nori," the man on the other end said. Emiko started sweating.

"Who… who is this?" she asked. The man chuckled again.

"Why, how rude. But I have to say, my _dear_ Emiko, that the information you just sent me is very interesting. Hahahahaha!"

Emiko couldn't help the tears that were running down her cheeks when she heard that voice.

_No…_

She hung up, dropped the phone and screamed.

}:{

_21.16 PM_

Not good. This was not good. Kisara had been home for a few hours now, but she still hadn't gotten a call from her cousins yet. Now the girls were still not home, and Kisara decided that enough was enough. She dialed Risa's cell phone number.

'_We're sorry, but the number you dialed does not or no longer exist.'_

Kisara dropped the phone.

* * *

**Shorter than I would have liked, but it'll have to do for now. Like I said: longer chapters are on the way! I hoped you liked this one.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Mokuba, how are things going?  
Emiko was caught red-handed. What will be her punishment?  
What happened to Raiku and Risa?  
I've been announcing it for a while now, but next chapter _will_ involve a deck of cards.  
What happens in Vegas, _stays_ in Vegas. Leave the rest to your imagination.  
**

**Feedback is most welcome, thank you all for reading.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	20. Chapter 17

**Yay, a longer chapter this time! Man, things are really moving at the moment!**

**Special thanks**

**ShinabaMorotomo - Thanks for your review. Yeah, I try to always end with a cliffhanger so that I won't get a writer's block and it works. Plus, ending with a cliffhanger is fun! I like to see that my readers are so eager to read more. Thank you for your enthusiasm :)**

**Dragongal - Yay, another fan xD Haha, kidding! But I'm glad I've managed to get you interested. Yeah, too many people disappearing all of a sudden would be quite suspicious, but Fujiwaka wouldn't be Fujiwaka if he didn't have a plan B. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**DragonHeart64 - It's like Murphy's Law: if everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. I thank you for complimenting my character development skills :) In my own twisted way, I actually like Fujiwaka. Of course it's a sick !^&$^*&$%, but let's face it: dumb bad guys are just no fun. Also, there's more action awaiting, starting this chapter. I hope you like it and thank you once again :)**

**Eragonfan - I seriously have reasons to believe in Karma, and Fujiwaka is just _asking_ for bad luck here, isn't he? I had actually planned on Fujiwaka making a move and trying to seduce/assault Kisara, but I just _couldn't do it!_ I'm glad you're so eagerly awaiting the next chapter every single time so here you go :)**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Ooooohhh, someone seems to be panicking *evil grin* Hahaha! Yeah, Emiko should've tested "Nori", but then again: she's not a detective and she didn't think of Nori being captured, so as for myself, I don't really blame her. This may sound a bit mean, but I hope to glue you to the edge of your seat for as long as this story goes on, and it's not over yet! Thank you for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Even the twins get tired after a while.  
Risa's hacking skills are needed.  
Things have indeed gotten nasty.  
Mokuba is up to something.  
Emiko snaps.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_Tuesday, May 17, 8.12 AM_

_Original POV_

The atmosphere in the office was tense at best. Kisara was worried out of her mind about her cousins. Mika, who liked the twins a lot, was worried as well, although she managed to stay calm. Kisara had wanted to call the police to ask them to go looking for the girls, but Mika had convinced her to wait a little while longer. Seto wasn't too worried. From what he knew about Raiku and Risa he was convinced that the two could take care of themselves. He _was_ worried about Kisara, though. She was so tensed up that she could barely sit still and her skin was even paler than usual from lack of sleep.

They had barely started the day's work, be it with difficulty in Kisara's case, when the intercom gave a small beeping sound. Mika pushed a small button.

"Director's office, this is Koriachi speaking," she said.

"This is security. We have a situation, ma'am," the man on the other end said.

"A situation?"

"Yes, ma'am. A teenage girl just stormed into the building and took the elevator. We don't know what floor yet. We request orders, ma'am."

Mika and Kisara looked at each other wide-eyed. Mika quickly replied.

"What does the girl look like?" she asked.

"Light purple hair, she wears it down and it's about shoulder length, she wears jeans, boots, and plain shirt and a jacket. She looked quite distressed," the man answered. Kisara went even paler. Then she stood up and run out of the office. Mika nor Seto tried to stop her.

"We know the girl, we'll take care of it," Mika told the man. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Ma'am!"

Meanwhile, Kisara had almost reached the elevators. One of them opened its door as Kisara reached her destination. A disheveled teenage girl with big, blue, haunted eyes stumbled out. Kisara quickly took the girl into her arms. Risa started to cry.

}:{

It took them almost half an hour to calm the girl down. She couldn't say a word. Instead, she cried and clung to her cousin like her life depended on it. Kisara just rocked Risa, softly singing to her. Mika sat next to them. Seto had troubled look on his face, since he had no idea how to handle the situation. Of course, he knew how to comfort a kid since he had a younger brother, but Risa was a girl and very different from Mokuba in many ways. In the end, he just decided not to bother the women and went back to work. They'd call for him if they needed him.

When Risa had calmed down, she started talking immediately, be it with a somewhat strangled voice.

"We didn't get out okay," she explained. "They got Raiku."

_**Flashback **_

_**Risa's POV**_

_My sister and I ran down the stairs at top speed. The staircase had a diameter of perhaps ten meters and the noise of our running feet echoed way too much and too loud to go unnoticed. And indeed, not twenty seconds after we'd started running we could hear doors on higher floors open loudly and the shouting of countless guards. They were coming after us an I somehow knew that these guys were of a different magnitude than those idiots at the Fujiwaka mansion. These guys were professionals. This could get nasty._

_If we'd thought that we could just throw open the door on the ground floor and make a run for our freedom, then reality bitch-slapped us in the face. Hard. The door was locked. We couldn't get out that way and the nearest guard had now reached the fourth floor._

_**End flashback**_

"It was actually scary," Risa mumbled. "It's weird. I don't get scared easily."

"What happened then?" Mika asked. "How did you get out?"

"There was another door," Risa explained. "It wasn't locked, so we went in, closed the door and then I saw a metal pipe that we used to barricade the door. There were more stairs that led to the basement. So we went there. The top floor of the basement happened to be an underground parking lot. There was another door in the opposite wall and there was an entrance. We saw daylight, so we decided to try and escape from there."

_**Flashback**_

_**Risa's POV**_

_We were granted another one of reality's bitch-slaps when we run towards the entrance. We heard the sound of many screeching tires and we turned on our heels at the exact moment no less than four big black cars with tinted windows entered the underground parking lot at top speed. Raiku and I tried to avoid the cars by dashing around and after the many concrete columns that prevented the rest of the building from collapsing on top of our heads._

_We were about twenty meters away from the door when we noticed that the cars had stopped that that men had come out and were now chasing us. Raiku and I paled when we noticed that all of them were armed. Some of them heavily. If I could've run any faster, then I sure as hell would have!_

_The noise of shots being fired was deafening and the bullets hit the concrete floors and walls and pillars but never one of us. These bullets were just warnings. But my sister and I have never been the kind of people that gets scared of a warning or two, plus: we'd reached the door. I pulled it open and dashed inside. We slammed the door closed (no metal pipes in sight this time, dammit!) and started running again, although we were now seriously getting out of breath. We heard more bullets being fired and some of them even went through the door, but we were already halfway down yet another flight of stairs, so the bullets didn't harm us._

_This level of the basement housed the building's central heating system. The many huge boilers made humming noises and it was noticeably hotter in here than it had been upstairs. There was a tiny bit of mist thanks to the steam that every now and then escaped from the boilers and small pipes._

"_Kind of spooky," Raiku whispered. We quickly zigzagged through the large room, using the gigantic boilers and the mist for cover. We heard a door slam open noisily as our trigger-happy opponents hurried after us. I was glad that the boilers made so much noise, because I was sure that those guys would've hurt the heavy pounding of my heart otherwise. _

_Raiku and I had slowed down to a quick walk, holding hands and checking our surroundings nervously. We managed to walk around unnoticed for a few minutes while looking for a way out. Just as I saw another door, a bullet was fired and it entered the boiler we were hiding behind about ten centimeters from my left shoulder. We yelped and ran for the door. But now the others were alarmed and they fired their guns rapidly, treating us to a shower of bullets. I had started crying by now because I was so scared. These bullets were no warnings. Those guys were trying to get to us whether we were dead or alive._

_We miraculously managed to reach the door without being hit. But just as I opened it, Raiku screamed._

_**End flashback**_

"One of the bullets had hit her." Risa was crying again. Kisara was now crying as well and Mika couldn't think of anything batter to do than holding their hands in hers.

"She was bleeding," Risa went on. "The bullet had hit her in the back. She fell to her knees and couldn't get up. She told me to run…"

"And you did, right?" Mika asked gently. Risa's lower lip started quivering uncontrollably as a fresh wave of tears escaped from her eyes. She nodded, visibly ashamed.

"I should've stayed," she cried. "What kind of sister am I, leaving my own sister, my _twin sister_ to her fate?"

"Now, don't be so hard on yourself, Risa," Mika told her. "Kisara was worried out of her mind about you two. She couldn't reach you on your cell phones. I'm sure she's glad to have at least one of you back safe and sound. At least now we know what happened. Isn't that right, Kisara?"

Kisara nodded, softly stroking her younger cousin's hair. Risa wrapped her arms around Kisara's neck and buried her face there.

"How come your phones don't work anymore?" Kisara asked.

"Raiku gave me hers before I went through that door," Risa answered. "She told me to destroy both our phones, first chance I got, just in case they'd catch me as well."

_**Flashback**_

_**Risa's POV**_

_I ran through the long corridor the door had led me to. The light was very dim, coming from the few light bulbs that were hanging down from the ceiling, some of them no longer working. I could hear my sister putting up a pretty good fight on the other side of the door. I hadn't been able to either lock it or barricade it, but I knew that Raiku would do everything in her power to slow those guys down._

_Still with Raiku's cell phone in hand I reached the end of the corridor, leaving me the option to go either left or right. I hoped for the best and went right. I got the impression that this floor was much larger than the previous ones. I came across crossroad after dead end after door, but the doors were either locked or they led to dark storage rooms. Since I had no idea where I had to go, I chose a different direction whenever I came across a crossroad. Needless to say I got hopelessly lost. I knew that I was running around in circles at one point, but I had to keep going. I heard noise in the distance, guessing that my pursuers had managed to get past my sister._

_I decided to take a huge risk. I sat down in a dark storage room, took out my computer device and linked it to Raiku's cell phone, then to my own. I deleted everything on our phones: pictures, text messages, contact lists, the very phone numbers, ringtones, everything was deleted. Even if those guys caught me, they would never find any information on our cell phones. The information could not be retrieved. _

_I put the phones in one of my pockets when an idea struck me like lightning. It was a little desperate for my liking, but if it worked, then I might actually escape._

_**End flashback**_

"I hacked into the company's computer system," Risa told the older women with a hint of smugness in her voice. "Piece of cake. There are so many leaks in it, it's almost too easy."

"What were you trying to do?" Kisara asked.

"I figured that I might be able to use GPS using their computer system," Risa explained. "With the help of GPS I could use my device as a map and get out of that maze."

Mika's eyes went wide. "And that worked?" she asked in awe. Risa nodded.

"Surprisingly, but yes. I wasn't even far from the nearest exit."

_**Flashback**_

_**Risa's POV**_

_Luck seemed to finally be on my side as I found the door unlocked. It was a bit rusty and it creaked a bit, but I paid no attention to that. I closed it behind me and looked around. I had found a staircase. Again. I quickly went up, trying to make as little noise as possible. These stairs were definitely older than the ones at the Fujiwaka Company building Raiku and I had flown up and down earlier. They looked like they hadn't been used in years. There was rust everywhere and it was lit even worse than the corridors I'd just escaped. I looked at the small screen of my computer device. The GPS signal was very weak and it even disappeared sometimes, but now at least I had a vague idea of what was ahead of me._

_I reached the first door on the sixth floor from the corridor level. It didn't open, so I quickly moved on. I realized that the stairs started to look better as I reached higher floors. There was less rust and more light. I found a door that actually opened on the nineteenth floor at the same moment I heard a metal door open with loud creaks many floors lower. I didn't dare look, but I was pretty positive my pursuers had found the stairs. But they didn't know I was there. I opened the door as slowly and carefully as I could. There was a hallway behind the door, with cheap blue carpet on the floor and cream colored walls, although a new layer of paint would be nice. The hallway was decently lit. I walked in and carefully closed the door. I saw a metal bucket standing next to the door (for god knows what reason) and I put right in front of the door. If someone opened the door from the other side I might be able to hear the noise._

_I quickly walked down the hallway, looking at the screen of my computer every once in a while, zooming in, zooming out, trying to get a better signal. After about ten minutes of carefully wandering around, I found an elevator. There was a small map of the building I was in on the wall next to it. The building seemed to be much smaller than the one of the Fujiwaka Company (I knew by now that I wasn't there anymore) and I was near the top floor. I took a deep breath and pushed the elevator button. I heard the faint humming of the elevator going up. There was a soft "ping!" and the doors opened. I entered the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor._

_**End flashback**_

"When the elevator reached the ground floor, I walked right out of the building. There was only a sleepy receptionist there. I could see the Fujiwaka Company building only two hundred meters away, if that, so I decided to walk the other way. There were a lot of guards outside, but they didn't notice me."

"But why didn't you go home?" Kisara asked. "I was worried _sick_."

Risa looked guilty.

"Well, I was on my way home, but I kept seeing black cars, some of them with tinted windows, so I just kept changing directions until I told myself that I was being paranoia and that I needed to calm down," she explained. "So in the end I just sat down under a bridge behind some bushes to rest for a little while, but I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already near dawn. I decided to go to KaibaCorp since I knew you'd be there, Kisara. But then I suddenly remembered everything that had happened and… and…"

Risa slowly broke down again.

"Shock," Mika concluded. "Shock and a lot of stress. She needs food and sleep. Risa, you just lie down on that couch, I'll go down and get you some food. Kisara, there should be a blanket or two in that drawer. No, the other one. Yes, that one. Okay, Kisara, you just stay here with Risa, I'll be right back."

Risa slept almost instantly and Kisara stood up. She sighed and combed her fingers through her hair, which she wore down today. That's when she noticed that Seto was looking at her.

"What?" she asked. He didn't answer. Kisara sighed again and walked over to her boyfriend's desk. Seto stood up as well. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand in his. Kisara couldn't help but notice how warm he was.

"Her sister will be fine," Seto tried to reassure her. Kisara nodded weakly.

"I sure hope so."

}:{

Nori had gotten a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when two guards dragged Raiku inside. Her clothes were covered in blood. She was conscious, although barely. She was free to move since her arms and legs weren't bound, but she just wasn't _able_ to move. Nori gulped. This was really, really bad.

}:{

_17.43 PM_

Mokuba was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't heard anything from Yori or anyone else. What was happening? How long would they leave Emiko there?

Mokuba hadn't been able to think of anything but Emiko ever since Friday. He still couldn't really believe that Emiko loved him. That she was now his girlfriend. Before he could go off to dream land, however, he cell phone rang. Annoyed, he picked up.

"Yes?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Mokuba, is that you?" Mokuba's eyes widened slightly, all annoyance forgotten.

"Yisuba-san? Thank god, I was wondering when…"

"There's a problem," Yisuba interrupted him. Mokuba paled. A problem?

"A problem, sir?" he asked.

"Yes. Nori has gone missing and one of my agents just confirmed that Raiku Mizushima has been kidnapped yesterday."

"I've heard of Nori, but I don't know this Raiku Mizushima."

"Oh, my bad. Do you know Kisara Ishinagi?"

"Yes, she's my brother's girlfriend, right?"

"Exactly. Now, Ishinagi-san has twin cousins who are staying at her house for a little while, Raiku and Risa Mizushima. They were a great help last Friday?"

"They were in the mansion?"

"Yes. But now Fujiwaka seems to have found them and he succeeded in capturing Raiku. Risa escaped, she's with her cousin."

"So you're saying…"

"I'm saying that we're in trouble. Fujiwaka knows what we want to do, we have no choice but to assume that. And now he's kidnapped my nephew and a teenage girl. I fear for them."

"You mean he'll kill them?"

"I really don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. And that's not all."

Mokuba felt himself becoming tired. It had all been going too smoothly, hadn't it?

"Another one of my agents told me that Fujiwaka caught Emiko sending us information. We never got it, since her tricked her into sending it to _him_ instead."

Mokuba sank to his knees.

"You mean… Emiko's in danger?" he asked softly.

"Yes, although I don't think he'll kill her or anything that extreme. But he'll hurt her. Badly."

"Then we have to act! Now!"

"I wish we could, Mokuba, but it's not that simple, I'm afraid. If we want to get my daughter and granddaughter out of that house, then we'll need solid evidence to prove that Fujiwaka is a criminal. I have reason to believe that he has something to do with the yakuza, but I can't prove it yet. I need more time."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Mokuba, you _can't_ do anything for the moment. I just wanted to let you know that the situation has changed."

Mokuba bit his lip. At this rate, Emiko might…

"Sir," he said, "Did your agent mention where they took this Raiku girl?"

"Ehm… well, yes," Yisuba answered in surprise. "She's been locked up in an underground room, but the place is a maze of corridors and rooms. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, sir. Just curious." Mokuba lied. He had an idea.

}:{

Emiko's tears had long since dried. She was tired. She was so very tired, but they wouldn't let her sleep. The skin of her wrists had broken so that the rough ropes cut directly into the wounds.

He feet were bare, dirty, and they hurt. Her back hurt even worse where the heavy wooden stick had hit her. Even breathing hurt, thanks to her bruised ribs. Her cheeks burned from the many times they had been slapped. Her mouth and throat were so dry that she could barely swallow or breathe.

The door opened, but Emiko didn't look up.

"We found photos, Emiko," she heard Hasako say. "And you know what your father said. Guard? Again, please. Twenty, as a start."

Emiko didn't even brace herself for the impact anymore as she felt the pain of a wooden stick hitting her back with force. Hasako said something over the noise and Emiko felt new tears come to her eyes as she looked up in disbelief.

"Those photos in the envelop? I'll personally destroy them."

Emiko felt rage come over her and she screamed with all her might.

"GO TO HELL, YOU _WHORE_!"

}:{

Seto was still in his office, looking at the cards in front of him without seeing them. Three _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ cards and the _Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ card. These cards had once meant the world to him. Now they seemed insignificant compared to the tears he'd seen in Kisara's eyes. She'd cried and he hadn't done anything.

"Coward," he whispered to himself. Seto sighed as he held up a fifth card. It was, in a way, the most important card in his deck. Without it, his dragons would be only so good in the tournament.

Things were going wrong at the worst possible moment. Tomorrow they would leave for the USA for four days. Four very busy days. Anything could happen in that time. Raiku was missing. Fujiwaka was planning something, he knew it. Something awful could happen while they would be gone. And then there was the tournament that would start next week. Seto would be gone for a while and he hoped that Fujiwaka wouldn't take advantage of his absence to try and get to Kisara once again.

Frustrated, he threw the card down next to the other ones, just as the noise of a thunderstorm could be heard. In the bright and sudden light of lightning, _Polymerization_ was clearly visible.

* * *

**This chapter was little longer, thank goodness. Hahaha xD**

**Okay, I feel like I'm giving away some things, but that's just too bad, then. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Mokuba, are you friggin' _stupid_?  
Risa just can't sit still for long.  
There's a bonding moment.  
Viva Las Vegas!  
****What happens in Vegas, _stays_ in Vegas. Leave the rest to your imagination.**

**I love feedback, so don't be shy to review. **

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	21. Chapter 18

**I've kept you guys waiting, but I think it was worth it. Behold, the next chapter of StarCrossed!**

**Special Thanks**

**DragonHeart64 - Oh yes, Fujiwaka won't escape Judgement, but he still has to commit some more crimes. Mokuba is getting a bit reckless, and it will have consequences. For Fujiwaka, mostly, as he'll soon find out. To be honest, I hadn't thought of paparazzi yet, but it's a very good idea and I think I'll use it. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Eragonfan - You seem to have some mixed feelings about the outcome of Raiku and Risa's adventure, and I don't blame you. But no worries: help is on its way. A little risk only adds to the fun (mine, especially, gna-gna). You seem to have your own ideas about the meanings of the cards and I can honestly tell you that you are W-R-O-N-G! Find out the meaning in this chapter (although, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you went speculating :)). I'm glad to have made you an addict and I'll keep doing my best to improve. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Dragongal - God forbid the bad guys win, right? Well, of course they won't, but the good guys are having a bumpy ride that will only get bumpier. What's going to happen to Emiko might surprise you, by the way. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Then I guess I've succeeded, then? Your worrying about the characters' well-being is most appreciated, I'm glad to see how into the story you get. Oh, Fujiwaka isn't done with them yet, but I know who's not going to be done with HIM soon after this chapter! Whoo-haa! Yeah, I'm looking forward to that, can you tell? xD Nope, you got the card thing wrong (okay, not completely, you got part of it right)! Of course, one of the Dragons symbolizing Kisara would be way too obvious, so that's not happening. Thanks for the effort, though. Thank you for the many compliments, they always manage to make me smile :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
****Mokuba, are you friggin' _stupid_?  
Risa just can't sit still for long.  
There's a bonding moment.  
Guess who saves the day?  
Hasako, how dare you confuse my readers?****  
As for the meaning of the cards...  
The Business Trip - Day 1**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Wednesday, May 18, very early in the morning_

_Original POV_

Raiku still wasn't fully back in the world of the living, but now at least she was aware of her surroundings and somewhat able to talk. The captors had at least had the decency to apply a bandage to her shot wound. They hadn't removed the bullet, however, and they'd given Raiku so much morphine that she had blacked out for hours.

It was clear that the professionals had handed the girl over to Fujiwaka's henchmen, since professionals would've searched her much more thorough and they would certainly have found Raiku's pocketknife, which was hidden in her left boot.

Nori only had the clothes he was wearing. His gun, knife and taser had been taken from him. His shoulders were hurting like hell by now since his hands were still bound to his back and that was not quite a comfortable position.

Raiku could move around, although not well, and although she didn't say anything, Nori knew that she was in a lot of pain and needed a doctor as soon as possible.

Nori also knew that things were looking pretty bad both for him and Raiku. As soon as Fujiwaka was done with whatever he needed them for, he would probably kill them.

Nori had made up his mind.

"Raiku," he whispered (there was someone guarding the door, so they had to be a little quiet). Raiku looked up with tired eyes. Her body had used up almost all of the morphine and the pain was getting worse.

"We have to escape," Nori said. Raiku managed a sarcastic smile.

"Talk about stating the obvious, Sherlock," she answered with a raspy voice. Nori chose to ignore that comment.

"Listen to me," he whispered urgently. "I've paid close attention and I've discovered that they relieve the guard after they give us our breakfast. That's when we have to strike, 'cause the new guard is always late. I have a plan."

}:{

_8.34 AM_

Seto and Mokuba had had breakfast very early in the morning since Seto had to leave early for the business trip to the USA. Therefore, he wasn't there to watch Mokuba leave for school so Mokuba could skip easily. Her told his guards and chauffeur that he wasn't feeling well and that he would stay home today. No one had questioned it and now Mokuba was using every resource he could think of to find the location where Nori and Raiku were held captive.

Yisuba had spoken of a room in a maze of corridors and rooms. And underground, no less. Mokuba had looked up a map of the subway, since he thought that such a maze wouldn't be located anywhere near the subway, and so he had concluded that Nori and Raiku were being held captive near the outskirts of the city, most likely near the industrial zone and company headquarters. But that still left him with a huge area to investigate. No less than twenty-six companies were located in that area, most of them with multiple buildings. Mokuba hoped that Fujiwaka had done the obvious and thus held his captives near his own company.

Mokuba spend no less than an hour and a half to get detailed maps and photos of Fujiwaka's territory, as well as reports on the construction of the building.

But it was time well spent. Mokuba discovered that the main building was linked to the building of a neighboring company in case something happened in either one of the buildings and the people inside would have a way out. However, Mokuba couldn't find a single corridor or tunnel or anything like that on the aerial photographs he'd found. He sat back in his chair and looked at the photo on his computer screen, biting his lower lip and thinking.

What were the odds that Nori and Raiku were somewhere in that underground corridor that was said to run between those buildings? The reports were very clear. The escape route had never been used. Well, not _officially_. But Mokuba didn't think it impossible for Fujiwaka to expand the area for personal use.

"Best lead I have," he mumbled, and got up. He had work to do.

}:{

_Meanwhile_

Risa at Kisara's place, pacing trough the rooms and trying to figure out what to do. Kisara had told her not to do anything stupid while she was on her own. Risa hated to make her cousin worry, but she, for one, was more worried about her sister. Raiku was injured. She needed help. And Risa was willing to bet all of Japan that Raiku hadn't received the medical attention she needed. Oh, they would keep her alive, for the time being, but they wouldn't take good enough care of her.

Then Risa stopped and decided. She went to the room she shared with her sister and changed into comfortable pants, a t-shirt and a sweater, none of them bright-colored. Then she put on a pair of white sneakers and hid her computer device in her left sock.

"Fujiwaka, ready or not, here I come," she growled as she dashed out of the door.

}:{

_Fujiwaka mansion_

Emiko was now no longer tied up, but she was in so much pain, both physically and emotionally, that she didn't bother moving anyway.

She wrists were no longer bleeding, but they stung terribly. She was cold, since she was only wearing the dress she'd been wearing when her father had caught her and it wasn't a warm dress. She was dirty, hungry, thirsty and dead tired.

She could only think about Hasako's evil smile as she closed the door to destroy Emiko's photos _those precious, precious photos_ of Mokuba. It had taken her _years_ to get those! Not only that, those photos were what had gotten her through the hard times she'd suffered in this house for the past few years. And there had been a lot of hard times.

The door opened. Someone sneaked inside, clearly not wanting to get caught. The woman (that much Emiko had seen) lit a small lantern and Emiko felt a fresh wave of hate wash over her as Hasako revealed her face. What struck her as odd, however, was that Hasako had a small basket with her. There were some bottle of water, a towel, a washcloth and food.

Was this woman out of her bloody _mind_?

Hasako knelt down at Emiko's side, wet the washcloth and started to clean Emiko's face. The girl shrieked and tried to get away from the woman as far away as possible. Which wasn't very far. Hasako looked at Emiko with a sad look in her eyes and tried again. She had to try for four or five times before Emiko just gave up and let her do whatever the hell she wanted. It wasn't as if she wasn't doing that already anyway.

After washing the girls face, Hasako continued with her hands, arms (she was very careful with Emiko's wrists), feet and legs. Then she used the towel to dry the girl off completely. Next she produced a small bottle with a brownish liquid from the basket and started to carefully clean Emiko's wounds. Povidone-iodine. Shit, it stung like hell, but Emiko didn't make a sound. Hasako bandaged the wounds when she was done and sat back, putting the basket in front of the girl.

"You need food, and water," she said softly.

"What do you care?" Emiko snapped. Hasako only looked sadder.

"I can understand your father's reasoning, to an extent," she explained. "But to treat you like this… that's just cruel."

Emiko snorted.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when you ordered the guard to use that stick." She said. Hasako rolled her eyes.

"Your father gave me orders to punish you that way and I'm not stupid enough to think the man loves me so much that he won't have everyone report my actions to him," she told the girl. "Believe me, it was difficult enough to get here unnoticed. Now eat."

Emiko obeyed slowly.

"So you were just keeping up appearances?" she asked. "All this time, I mean?"

Hasako shrugged, which looked _very_ out of character.

"Appearances are deceptive," she answered, though not really answering the question. Emiko swallowed.

"Did father… did he tell you to destroy my… my photos?" she asked weakly, wanting to start crying all over again. Now it was Hasako who snorted.

"Yes, he did, heartless bastard that he is." At Emiko's surprised face, she rolled her eyes again.

"For God's sake, girl! You're in love! It happens to everyone! Why should anyone be punished for being in love?"

Emiko's eyes widened.

"Then… my photos…" she started, unable to finish. Hasako knew, however.

"They're safe and hidden, and not a single one of them is missing. I burned some of my photos of your father instead to prove to him that I burned photos, as were his orders."

Hasako had barely the time to finish her sentence as Emiko wrapped her arms tightly around the woman and cried.

}:{

_Fujiwaka Company_

Mokuba had to admit that he had been somewhat stupid to come here without a plan. He was well known in the business world and that now proved to be a disadvantage. So, now what?

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" someone asked him suddenly. Mokuba jumped and turned around. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Mokuba could only look at Risa dumbfounded. She had hidden her hair underneath the same wig she had worn at the Fujiwaka dinner party and was now next to unrecognizable. She was giving him a weird look.

"You _are_ Mokuba Kaiba, aren't you?" she asked to be sure, keeping her voice low so that no one would hear her. Mokuba nodded.

"I am," he said. "And who are you?"

"Risa Mizushima," Risa answered. "I'm going to save your life."

"Excuse me?"

But Risa had already grabbed her companion's arm and was now dragging him in the direction of the building of a neighboring company. Mokuba figured that this had to be the company the other building was connected to. He mentally slapped himself. Why did he go to the Fujiwaka Company if this maze had a back door?

Risa didn't let go until they'd reached the front of the building. It looked terribly shabby.

"Now listen," Risa said with her hands on her hips. "I happen to know that Fujiwaka wants you dead or alive, but preferably dead, so do as I say and _keep away from there_!"

"Are you here for your sister?" Mokuba asked as if she hadn't spoken at all. This surprised her.

"How do you know?" she asked. Mokuba shrugged.

"Yisuba-san told me," he said. "He also said that his nephew, Nori, is missing. I understand we're in this Rescue Emiko mission together?"

Risa nodded slowly.

"And then you decided to play hero and come and save them?" she asked. Mokuba nodded and she sighed.

"Stupid," she scolded. "And here I thought you were quite smart, figuring out where to go and all. But I've been there, in that place, and you won't get out of there alive unless you know exactly what you're doing!"

"Oh, and you are _not_ playing hero?" Mokuba asked her. He was getting pissed off.

"Well, no, since I'm here to save my sister! You don't have any reason to be here!" she shouted.

"It so happens that I _do_ have a reason," Mokuba argued. "If we can get them out of there, then we'll gain very valuable information, especially about Fujiwaka and his evil business. Besides…" he sighed, and his voice softened. "We'll need them to save Emiko."

And just like that, Risa seemed to understand.

"Well, all right," she said. "But I'm the one in charge, got that? I know where to go, so you just follow my lead, okay?"

Mokuba nodded, but couldn't help but wonder…

"How do you know your sister is still here? Well, I got it from Yisuba, but…"

"Ever heard of twin telepathy?" Risa asked.

"Yes. It exists?"

"Yup. I just follow my sixth sense and it's telling me that my twin is somewhere down there." Risa told him. Mokuba raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's good, 'cause if the place really is such a maze…"

"It is."

"… then we'll need that sixth sense of yours really bad."

Risa beamed.

"Exactly!" she said. "Now, if you'd please be so kind to follow me…"

}:{

_About half an hour later_

It had taken some time, but now Risa and Mokuba were standing in front of the rusty door that would lead them to The Maze. Risa wanted to do a check up before going in and so they discovered that, besides Risa's more than handy computer device, they had some pebbles (Mokuba had thought them to come in handy), a small kitchen knife, some crayons (red, light blue and light purple) and some chewing gum. Mokuba had given his companion a weird look when she'd proudly showed him the chewing gum, but she argued that it always helped her calm her nerves. She was chewing frantically when they opened the door.

The corridor was empty and quiet. They walked in and closed the door. Risa walked in front of Mokuba, following her sixth sense, and Mokuba listened if he heard someone approaching. They walked for minutes. A lot of minutes, and Mokuba had to admit that he got a little worried after about an hour.

"Is there something wrong?" he whispered. Risa turned around.

"It's strange," she answered. "She seems to be moving. But I think we're almost there."

Mokuba hoped that Raiku had escaped and that he wouldn't have to fight Fujiwaka's dogs.

}:{

_Meanwhile_

Nori and Raiku were also trying to find their way around. Raiku had managed to make the guard trip when he entered their cell with their food, after which Nori had knocked him out. It had taken precious time for Raiku to grab the man's keys and unlock Nori. She could barely walk, so eventually, Nori had told her he'd carry her on his back. They had been walking for almost twenty minutes now and their escape was bound to be found out within another ten. Yet they still hadn't found and exit, and Nori was getting desperate when Raiku suddenly told him to turn left. When he asked why, she told him not to argue and just do it, so he sighed, shrugged, and turned left. She kept giving him directions until suddenly…

BUMP!

Nori yelped as he walked into someone. He fell to the ground in surprise, careful not to land on Raiku, and looked right into the curious eyes of no other than Raiku's twin, Risa. Behind her was Mokuba, which only confused the detective more.

"What the hell…?" he mumbled, as he let Mokuba pull him to his feet. Risa was hugging her sister, silently scolding the doctor for all she was worth. Quite a lot, apparently.

"We came to rescue you," Mokuba explained. "Looks like you made our job a lot easier."

"We can talk later," Nori said. "We have to go, _now_. They'll notice our escape very…"

"_Alarm!_ The prisoners have escaped!"

"… soon," Nori finished as they heard the loud cry of the guard in the distance. Mokuba could feel adrenaline starting to wash over him. Risa quickly grabbed her computer device and activated the GPS, while Nori took Raiku on his back once more.

"Run!" he said, and Risa run for the exit, Nori and Raiku behind her, and Mokuba in the back. They could soon hear countless people pursuing them. Nori tried not to hurt Raiku to much while running, but he also didn't want to slow the group down.

Things got nasty at about a one hundred meters from the door. They got at a crossroad when four guards came running towards them from the other end of the corridor. Not good. Nori and the teens would have to get past them to get to the door, and they had _very_ little time.

Mokuba quickly pulled his pebbles out of his pockets and gave his kitchen knife to Risa, who didn't have a weapon of her own. Raiku quickly managed to grab her pocket knife (although it hurt like hell to do so) and gave it to Nori, so that he could defend them both. Then she braced herself for the pain of her injury and wrapped her arms and legs around Nori's body, giving him more room to move without having to support her.

The guards, however, had guns. Mokuba gulped, aimed, and threw one of his pebbles, hitting one of the guards on his mouth. The man growled and spit out some blood and two teeth before he charged again. Risa had charged as well. She made good use of her incredible speed and raised the knife before one of the guards could fire a bullet at her. She quickly cut one of the men's hands, and he dropped the gun. Risa grabbed and hit its owner in the face with it, knocking him out. Mokuba had aimed for another guard and knocked him out as well with a lucky throw that had the man receive a pebble between the eyes. But that still left two other guards. Just as Mokuba made for another throw, no less than six men rounded the corner behind them, while at the other end, _another_ seven men came to their colleagues' aid. Nori and the teens were trapped. There was no way they could make it out without being caught. Things were looking very, very bad.

}:{

_10.49 AM_

Seto and his employees were on their way to the USA, blissfully unaware of what was happening in Domino City. Of course, it was unthinkable for someone like Seto Kaiba, to use an ordinary airplane, so they were on their way in a company plane, which was different , since it didn't have two or three rows of chairs, but one row. And that one row consisted of multiple tables with comfortable couches , allowing the passengers to actually talk with each other. As it was however, most passengers were napping, making up for the sleep that had missed thanks to the early departure. Mika, however, was wide awake and reading a magazine about BJDs. Kisara would never have thought her friend was into BJDs. Kisara was also awake and reading a book (_Gone With The Wind_). Seto was sitting next to her, playing with his DM cards. Yes, playing. They were sitting in the back of the plane, Mika a few meters in front of them and _not_ paying attention and the rest of the passengers in dream land, aka: they had privacy.

Kisara suddenly looked up from her book to watch Seto. She'd never really gotten into Duel Monsters, although she understood the game. She happened to know about Seto's obsession with the _Blue Eyes White Dragon_, one of which he was now looking at as it lay on the table in front of them. Seto caught her staring.

"Do you know the game?" he asked softly. She nodded, smiling.

"Raiku and Risa used to spend entire weekends teaching me about the game and the cards," she said, before her smile faded as she thought about Raiku. Seto noticed.

"It's not just a bunch of cards," he said suddenly. His passion for Duel Monsters was showing as he flipped through his deck and took out some cards. He laid those cards on the table and put the others away. Kisara saw three _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ cards, plus the _Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ and _Polymerization_. She frowned.

"_Polymerization_ unites the three _Dragons_ to create the_ Ultimate Dragon_, right?" she asked. Seto smiled and nodded, pleased that she knew.

"Every card in this game has a special meaning," he explained. "At least that's what _professional_ players believe." Kisara noticed that he emphasized the word 'professionals' is a way that made very clear that he considered himself a professional (which, let's face it, he was) and that he despised those who were not.

"This special meaning," Seto went on, "depends a lot on the owner of the card. For example, there's this guy called Yugi Mutou, not a bad player, I admit, and it's very clear that his _Dark Magician_ is of great importance to him." Seto shrugged.

"But of course, it goes without saying that just one card isn't enough to win. A duelist has to know his deck, preferably better than he knows himself. A true duelist knows what his cards symbolize to him."

Kisara wanted to laugh at the superior tone in Seto's voice, but she loved him too much for that (although she noticed Mika sniggering (okay, so maybe she _was_ paying attention)).

"What makes these cards so special to you?" Kisara asked Seto, pointing at the cards in front of them. He blushed a little.

"Basically," he said, "they represent us. You and me." Kisara couldn't help her jaw dropping. That was about the last answer she'd expected.

"How so?" she asked, very proud of herself that her voice didn't fail her. Seto picked up the three _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ cards.

"The three _Dragons_," he told her, "symbolize my mind, my heart, and my soul. This I've always known. But…" He hesitated, bit his lip, and continued then.

"There had always been something missing," he said, "Something that didn't allow me to become the _Ultimate Dragon_, the most powerful of all. A complete being. But I didn't feel complete."

Seto picked up said _Dragon_ and kept looking at it for a while. Then he laid the four cards on the table, turned to face Kisara and showed her _Polymerization_.

"I've always kept my heart from interfering with my mind and vice versa. The three _Dragons_ have never been together to change into the_ Ultimate Dragon_, since there was never anything to unite them," Seto explained. "Until I met you… you make me whole… what I missed… what made me incomplete… was love…"

Kisara smiled a very sweet smile, and he smiled back. They kissed.

}:{

The noise in the corridor was deafening as countless bullets were fired and bodies dropped to the ground. Mokuba was sure he'd get hit, but for some reason, that didn't happen. When the shooting stopped, he slowly opened his eyes (he'd closed them when the shooting had started) and looked up at the sound of someone walking towards him. Somehow, he knew those footsteps.

"Well, look who we have here," she man said amused. "Mokuba, my boy, you never fail to surprise me."

"Pegasus!" Mokuba said dumbly. The other man laughed softly.

"Yes, I know, it's quite a surprise. But then again, life is full of surprises."

"How did you know?" Nori asked, just as surprised as Mokuba. Pegasus looked at him as if the answer was obvious. Which it wasn't. Obviously.

"Why, I was planning the exact same thing as Mokuba-boy and his charming companion," he explained. "Yisuba-san was pretty much desperate on the phone, and who am I to just sit still and watch?"

"Yisuba called you?" Mokuba asked, understanding it less and less. Pegasus nodded.

"Yes, but I'll explain that later. I happen to own a modest residence not too far from the city. I'll take you there, and then my doctor will take a look at the young miss Raiku. I don't think Fujiwaka's goons have much knowledge in the medical department."

As Pegasus, his bodyguards (who'd "taken care of" Fujiwaka's men and saved the day), Nori and the three teens turned around to leave, one of Fujiwaka's men, who was still conscious, grabbed his gun, aimed, and fired. Mokuba fell to the ground.

* * *

**And we end with a monstrous cliffhanger. And don't say that I would never let Mokuba die, 'cause I'm the kind of bitch who actually WOULD let him. Gna-gna.**

**Poll status  
Still open, as it will be for the next three months.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Pegasus calls this MODEST?  
We see Fujiwaka again. Whoo-hoo... *sarcasm, sarcasm!*  
Emiko finds out what happened to Mokuba.  
Speaking of Mokuba, Seto is wondering why his little brother never picks up the phone.  
Pool. Enough said.  
My first boy/girl lemon. I'm kind of scared...  
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Too bad the paparazzi don't know that.**

**I'll stop now, before I get carried away too much. **

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is, once again, more than welcome.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	22. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone, it's me again, and with a new chapter of StarCrossed to brighten your day, although it's once again a shorty. I'd like to start things of with some special thanks, as usual.**

**Special thanks**

**ShinabaMorotomo - I hadn't thought of that yet, but you are absolutely right. Oh well, then I guess he'll live :) And I'm glad that you liked the twist. Thanks for reviewing :D **

**Eragonfan - No, Marik wasn't in on this, don't worry :) I have more plans in mind when it comes to Hasako, but you'll have to wait a few days for her to show her true colours. I'm glad you liked the symbolism of the cards and they'll definitely make a reappearance. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Dragongal - Confusing my readers on purpose is what I like doing :) But don't you worry, everything will be explained in the future. Mokuba dying would be aweful indeed, but as ShinabaMorotomo pointed out to me quite matter of factly, Seto would kill me if I'd let Mokuba die, so he'll live. I'm flattered by your compliments and I'll do my best to keep it up. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**DragonHeart64 - Well, I thought it would make sense if Seto talked about Yugi as an inferior player, and I really enjoyed writing that scene. I'm glad you liked it so much :) I had to check and double-chack and you're right: there were four different plan at work at the same time (dude, that's a lot, I didn't realize!). Fujiwaka is in for a lot of trouble as soon as Seto finds out, but let's not go there at the moment :3 More time in Vegas is coming up, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - I find Pegasus too cool a dude to just simply ignore and I'm plotting something evil that involves Seto having to thank the man for saving Mokuba... Seto will not like that :) I'm glad you liked the card thing, it was fun to write, although I had some trouble finding the right words. Glad to hear I did a good job :) Oh, please, don't let me keep you from repeating yourself, I don't mind in the least xD Thanks for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Mokuba doesn't pick up the phone.  
Just what exactly does Pegasus call 'modest'?  
Will Mokuba live?  
What's the plan for freeing Emiko and her mother?  
What is Fujiwaka up to? Except for nothing good, I mean.  
A divorce? Puh-lease, no one's going to believe that.  
Emiko leaves dinner in a hurry. To be honest, I can't blame her.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

**PS. When in Las Vegas, I put the Las Vegas local time there.  
**

* * *

_Wednesday, May 18, 21.15 PM_

_Las Vegas, Original POV, 5.15 AM_

Seto was tired. And Seto doesn't get tired easily, but now he felt positively trashed.

It had taken about twelve hours to get to Las Vegas, where is was 16 hours earlier than in Tokyo, which didn't really help Seto's situation. His group had arrived at the Mandalay Bay Hotel just past nine in the evening, _Japan time!_ So, it was around 5 in the _morning _now in Las Vegas. Seto would never admit it, but he was extremely happy that the meetings wouldn't take place until the next day, somewhere in the last afternoon.

Seto's first order of business was to call Mokuba to tell his little brother that he had arrived at his destination very tired but otherwise unharmed. Imagine his deep frown when a very uneasy feeling bodyguard had picked up the phone, only to inform his employer that Mokuba wasn't home and hadn't been home since that morning. It was only then that someone informed Seto that his little brother had skipped school. This didn't sit well with Seto, as you can imagine, and he made sure to let the guard know that (poor guy).

This all explains why Seto wasn't sleeping yet. He couldn't stop worrying. Why was Mokuba not home yet and what had he done all day?

}:{

_Thursday, May 19, 11.22 AM_

The reason that Mokuba wasn't home yet was because he was at Pegasus' place, along with Nori, Raiku, Risa, and now also Yisuba. Mokuba was unconscious, but alive and out of danger. According to Pegasus' personal doctor, the boy had been very lucky. The bullet had hit a rib, bounced off and hit another rib, thereby effectively protecting any vital organs (although the bullet had almost reached his stomach, which would've been fatal). Mokuba's ribs would be hurting for a while, but apart from that and a scar, there would be no other consequences for him.

While they were waiting for Mokuba to wake up, the twins were exploring the house (Raiku walking with difficulty but alright, thanks to the morphine the doctor had given her, this time without having her blacking out), occasionally stating that Pegasus must have a very weird-looking stick up his ass to call his house "modest". There was _nothing_ modest about it. It was a four-story tall mansion in Victorian style. There was a huge veranda at the back of the house from where you could see the lake that was less than two hundred meters away. All of the bedrooms, except those of the personnel, had a balcony and there were two towers, both at the back. Everything was white-colored at the outside, but on the inside, everything was painted different shades of warm brown. There were a lot of windows, so there was a lot of light. The dark red carpet was warm and soft and the overall luxury and good taste in decoration made it very clear that the mansion was Pegasus'.

The mansion and the grounds around it were guarded by a high stone wall and an iron gate. All of the guards and alarm- and camera systems were hidden.

Yisuba was having a talk with Pegasus and Nori in a luxurious living room, all with a glass of Pegasus' own brand of expensive red wine. They had quickly agreed that they shouldn't let Seto know about what happened until he got back. That could be slightly disastrous and possibly bloody.

"What does this mean for our plan to save Saeko and Emiko?" Nori asked (Pegasus had been in on the plan all along, thanks to _certain_ people). Yisuba sighed. He looked very tired.

"With his hostages gone, he'll be mad and even more dangerous," he answered his nephew's question. "I'm particularly afraid of what he might… no, what he _will_ do to my daughter."

"We'll have to get into that house as soon as possible," Pegasus stated calmly. "I haven't heard anything from my spy for a bit too long."

"It seems like some people from the personnel have disappeared," Yisuba informed the other men. "My spy told me this. They were gone the morning after Fujiwaka found out what Emiko was doing for us."

"You fear he killed them," Pegasus said matter of factly. Yisuba paled and gulped, then nodded slowly. Pegasus went on, still in that calm manner of his, "And now you fear he will also make your daughter "disappear"."

"Pegasus, stop it!" Nori snapped. "This isn't helping."

Pegasus simply took another sip of his wine. Nori turned to face his uncle.

"We know when Fujiwaka will and won't be at work, and he never works during the weekends. Today's Thursday. We have to go tomorrow, otherwise - and I hate to say this, but Pegasus is right - Fujiwaka may have killed Saeko by the time we get there."

"At such short notice, it'll be quite a challenge, but I agree," Pegasus said nodding before motioning a servant to refill his glass. Yisuba nodded as well.

"But how are we going to do that?" he asked them. Nori answered as if he'd had this plan all along (in fact, he had, but whatever).

"As we already decided, the twins and I will go inside to get both Saeko and Emiko," he said. "We'll do this early in the afternoon, when Emiko's tutor will go for a walk. Pegasus' men will watch out for any trouble. We'll leave the mansion, get in Yisuba-san's car and leave, after which we'll find a safe location to stay while charging Fujiwaka."

"Where will you be staying?" Pegasus asked with mild interest. "Going to Yisuba-san's house would be too obvious, but from what we know and guess, Saeko and Emiko will be in no condition to travel far. A populated area is also not an option."

Nori scratched his head. He hadn't really thought about that yet. Pegasus smirked.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to stay here, then."

Both Yisuba and Nori looked up.

"Really?" Yisuba asked. His friend simply nodded.

"That's settled, then," Nori said, right after which Pegasus' cell phone went off.

}:{

_Meanwhile_

Fujiwaka was in his study, fuming with rage at the news of the escape of his captives and the death of seventeen of his guards. Yisuba couldn't pull a stunt like that, but Fujiwaka couldn't think of anyone who knew about it and who _was_ able of pulling it off. It infuriated him to no end.

What brightened his day a little was the knowledge that his daughter had been punished thoroughly and that her photos had been burned. Hasako had shown him proof and he had thanked her by immediately asking her to marry him. He would just tell Emiko that he had divorced her mother. He doubted she would actually believe it, but it would have to do. Sometimes he cursed God for giving him such a gifted daughter. Although it was second best to having a highly gifted son, it proved to be a bit inconvenient in this case. Anyway, Hasako had accepted and Fujiwaka had decided right then and there that they would marry on May 26th.

With that being done, Fujiwaka was now brooding on his wife's murder. He didn't want to wait too long, as he had to prepare for his wedding.

"Tomorrow, then," he mumbled. Hasako came in at that exact moment, only just hearing what her fiancé said.

"Will there be something important tomorrow, Ken?" she asked. Fujiwaka turned around in mild surprise to look at Hasako before he answered.

"I've just decided to dispose of Saeko tomorrow," he told her. He saw Hasako's eyes widen slightly, but didn't think anything of it.

"May I ask how and when you're planning to do that?" she asked while putting her hand in the pocket of her dress as if she was looking for something. Fujiwaka chose to ignore it.

"I'll have my men take her to an alleyway in one of the bad parts of the city and get rid of her in such a way that it'll look like she committed suicide," he answered the woman's question. "Emiko will be at home all day, so it'll have to wait until she's asleep."

Hasako nodded in understanding. Then she smiled a sad smile.

"I just hope she'll accept me as her stepmother one day," she mused. Fujiwaka scoffed.

"If not, then I'll make her," he told Hasako smugly.

}:{

_Dinner_

Dinner was awkward most of the time in the Fujiwaka household, but tonight was even worse than usual. Emiko was barely eating, while Fujiwaka and Hasako (both seated at the far ends of the outrageously long table) were talking happily about this and that. As usual, a huge TV was on, showing the news. There was currently a male reporter going on and on about the terrible things that had happened in an underground maze of rooms and corridors that was originally used as an extra escape route for the people of the Fujiwaka Company in case of an emergency. The fact that it had also been meant for the people of the neighboring company seemed to be forgotten.

At one point, Fujiwaka motioned for one of the servants to turn off the TV, before standing up and motioning for everyone in the room to listen to what he had to say. He wasn't pleased to see that his daughter was next to not interested. He'd change that.

"Friends," he started, not caring about the fact that he thought of his servants as scum, "Today is both a sad day and a day of joy. To start with the sadness: as you've all just heard from the reporter, there's been a gunfight near my company. Unfortunately, no less than _seventeen_ of my men, good men, were killed." He paused for a moment. No one moved.

"Let's take a moment to commemorate these men. May they rest in peace."

Everyone was silent for about a minute before Fujiwaka spoke up again.

"What is also regrettable," he said, although a bit joyful, "Is that, after many years, my wife and I have decided on a divorce."

Emiko's head snapped in her father's direction, who quickly went on.

"My dear daughter, we're very sorry for you to have to find out this way, but please know that we had a good talk and that we have parted on good terms," he lied, before returning his attention to the rest of the household.

"I have willingly admitted to lady Saeko that I love another woman. We talked about this for a long time and she was so generous to give me her blessing for what I am about to say."

He paused again, seeing disbelief in his daughter's eyes.

"Which leads us to the good news," Fujiwaka said, raising his glass of wine, "I asked lady Hasako, the woman whom I've loved for years, to become my wife. And I'm happy to announce that she has accepted my proposal."

Emiko was now crying a little and refused to participate in the toast that followed. Sitting down once again, Fujiwaka motioned for a servant to put the TV back on. It was still about the gunfight and the reporter was now talking about the victims and possible perpetrators. His words could be heard loud and clear.

"… but what we _can_ tell you, is that some of the victims have already been identified, although, as I told you, no bodies have been found yet, which would suggest that the perpetrators took the bodies with them to dispose of them."

Emiko shivered as the reporter went on. Hasako was watching intently at the screen, her food forgotten.

"We are sorry to tell you that one of the victims has been identified as no other then Mokuba Kaiba," the man said, "It is yet unclear why he was on the scene, although it is believed to be impossible that he was on the side of the perpetrators. Doctors say that, looking at the amount of blood that could be identified as his, there is a good chance that he died within a few hours. We have contacted all hospitals, but no one who could be identified as Mokuba Kaiba entered any of them. Thus leads to the assumption that the young man didn't receive any professional medical attention after the gunfight. The 17-year old teen appears to have left his house yesterday morning and he hasn't been back ever since. Our thoughts are with the boy's brother, Kaiba Corporation president Seto Kaiba, who left the country yesterday for a business trip. No one has been able to contact him yet. Another one of the victims has been identified as Shinji Koda, who only just recently..."

Fujiwaka couldn't believe his luck, and he was so happy with the news that he hadn't noticed Emiko running from the table, crying.

* * *

**I know it was a bit short, but I hope that you don't mind too much after I tell you what I have in mind for the next chapter.**

**Poll status  
Open, please vote.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Next chapter will be the crew's first day in Vegas. That's it.  
Will the rescue squad arrive at the Fujiwaka mansion in time to save Saeko?  
Mokuba wakes up.  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Emiko is convinced that Mokuba has died.  
What's worse, her father has already chosen her future husband. How will Emiko react to that?  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**I'll stop here, before I can think of more things to add.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always welcome.  
**

**See you next time! In Vegas!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	23. Chapter 20

**An early update, most likely the first of two updates today (hey, it's only ten in the morning, I have time enough to write another chapter!). This chapter is short, but...**

**Special thanks**

**ShadowPhoenix44 - Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List. It is very much appreciated.**

**DragonHeart64 - Yeah, Mokuba could do that, but what's the fun of that? Yes, I'm being mean, I know. Hasako will surprise everyone in later chapters, I'll try and make sure of that. Oh, I'm planning on a very emotional scene with Emiko, like, next chapter or so. Hihihi, Fujiwaka is soooooo not going to like that! The time difference will definitely be of help, indeed, and yes, I'm planning on some Seto/Kisara alone time *giggle* HopelessRomantic183 already agreed to making sure I won't mess that up. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Eragonfan - Like I told DragonHeart64, of course they could inform Seto that his brother is alright, but that would spoil the fun (_my_ fun, to be exact, yeah, I'm a bitch like that). The rescue squad will have to hit-and-run if they want to save Saeko without being caught, but let's face it: they have yet to face the first problem that they can't overcome. I hope you'll like what I have yet in mind for this story. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Hasty? Oh, well, I didn't notice. Then I guess I won't let it all go as smoothly as I had first in mind :) Emiko will have a small freak-out before being rescued, but you'll read all about that later on. Fujiwaka is going to be a big pain the ass! Thanks for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
First day in Vegas.  
There's news from Domino City. And it ain't good.  
Looks like we're finally done with the sleaze ball.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Las Vegas, Thursday, May 19, 13.46 PM_

_Original POV,_

Around seven in the morning, Seto had finally fallen asleep, still with his clothes on and his cell phone in hand. Now he was being shaken awake by a way to happy looking Mika. She didn't look affected by the long journey in the least.

"Mika… what do you want?" Seto asked in a gruff voice.

"That you get out of bed," she answered, before opening the curtains. Seto closed his eyes tightly. The light was a bit too much at the moment. It wasn't until then that he noticed he was still holding his cell phone. The next moment, he was wide awake. He sat up, flipped open his phone and speed dialed Mokuba's cell phone number. Nothing. He called their own private number. Still nothing. Well, of course a guard picked up, but Mokuba still wasn't home and they couldn't contact him either. Okay, it being not even six in the morning yet in Domino City should be part of it, but still. Seto hang up and lowered his phone, while biting his lower lip in worry. Mika tilted her head a little and looked at him with curiosity.

"Something wrong?" she asked. He nodded before answering.

"Mokuba left the house a few hours after I'd left, but he didn't go to school. He hasn't been home ever since. No one knows where he is and he doesn't pick up his cell phone."

Mika's eyes went wide.

"That isn't like Mokuba," she said, sitting down next to Seto. "He would never want you to worry about him."

Seto nodded, still biting his lip. He didn't bother hiding his emotions, he was just too stressed for that. Mika tapped her lips with her fingers, frowning as she thought about all this.

"We must not forget that Mokuba is seventeen," she said. Seto raised an eyebrow as he looked at his friend.

"Meaning?" he asked. Mika shook her head.

"That means that he's a teenager, which means he's rebellious, which means he was _bound_ to do something stupid sooner or later. I think that he's maybe staying with a friend," she said. Although she didn't fully believe it herself. Rebelliousness aside, Mokuba would _never_ want to worry his older brother. Not ever. Unless…

"Seto," Mika said, "I don't want to worry you any further, but I think we must not forget the possibility that something happened to him."

"And you think I don't know that?" Seto snapped before standing up. He started pacing.

"I don't want to think about that," he hissed. "I _can't_ think about it. As soon as I do, I'll go crazy!"

Mika nodded understandingly. Then someone knocked on the door and Mika stood up to let Kisara in. Kisara didn't look too tired. She walked up to Seto, but stopped when she saw his face.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"His brother hasn't been home for almost two days, Japan time, and he doesn't pick up the phone," Mika answered. Seto started to feel a little sick. _What happened?_

}:{

Worrying aside, there was still work to be done in Vegas. There was this casino owner who had taken an interest in Duel Monsters, as well as some of his colleagues, so the crew went to a meeting that was set for three in the afternoon. Kisara stared her eyes out as the cars took them to their destination.

"It's pretty awesome here," she said to Mika. Mika nodded.

"You should see this place around midnight. This city is pretty much sleeping during the day," she told her friend, before telling her about when she went to Vegas with her parents when she was eighteen.

"But not everything is beautiful in Vegas," Mika told Kisara. "There's a side to this all that most tourists don't or don't want to see."

Kisara eyed Mika with curiosity.

"The hookers," Mika went on. "The strippers. Both men and women, some only young teenagers. Oh, some of them like their job, don't get me wrong, and some of them live pretty happy lives here, but most of them… most of them are just trying to survive. I've heard terrible stories about some of the clubs here. Rape, fifteen year old boys and girls with alcohol poisoning, drugs, anything bad, actually."

Kisara stared at her friend in shock. Mika just shrugged.

"It's a hard life, but you find these stories in cities all over the world. I had a hard time with it at first, but… there's nothing I can do about it, so in the end I wrote a letter to the UN (not that I ever got a reply) and went on with my life."

Kisara went back to staring out of the window, at the city that had suddenly lost much of its beauty and glory.

}:{

Seto didn't really pay attention to the meeting and quite frankly, he didn't bother trying.

}:{

_Las Vegas, 22.11 PM_

Seto sat at a desk with his laptop in front of him. He'd tried sending an e-mail to Mokuba, knowing that his brother checked his e-mail daily, but no reply had come so far. Kisara and Mika were there as well, sitting at a table with some coffee (Mika had been shocked when Seto told her he didn't want coffee), talking about Vegas, what they would do in their free time now that they were in the States, and some other things Seto didn't pay attention to.

In the end, Seto gave up and turned off his laptop, after which he turned on the TV, hoping that watching the news would take his mind off of things for a while. The broadcast had only just started and now Seto was looking at a reporter who was talking about some heavy earthquake in China. At least two hundred people dead, over a thousand still missing, more than eight thousand were now homeless, _great_, that was _just_ what he needed while being tormented by nightmares about his baby brother, varying from Mokuba lying in an alley all beaten up to an image of Mokuba in some abandoned field with his throat cut , looking at Seto with eyes that asked "Why didn't you protect me?".

Seto didn't noticed that he'd balled his hands to fists and that his nails were almost cutting through his skin until Kisara sat down next to and took his hands in hers, trying to calm him down. He tried to relax, but it was extremely difficult. Mika sat down in a chair and the three of them continued watching the news together (Kisara was having some difficulty with the Texan accent of the reporter, but she managed).

Then the newscaster appeared on screen again.

"_Tragic news just came in from Japan,"_ she said, causing Seto and the women to look at each other in surprise. Japan? The woman on the TV went on. _"In Domino City, a suburb of Tokyo, the police have found traces of a gunfight in an underground corridor. The corridor was built as an extra escape route for employees of two neighboring companies. Since no bodies were found, the victims are now being identified using the blood that was found at the scene. It had been confirmed that about twenty people were hit and possibly killed in the fight. It is certain and these people were mostly guards who were working for Ken Fujiwaka, the president of the neighboring Fujiwaka Company. Mr. Fujiwaka promised to find the bodies, so that the families of the victims can bury their loved ones."_

The newscaster ruffled through her papers, cleared her throat and looked at the camera again. Seto noticed that his heart was racing at a way to fast pace. _Fujiwaka?_

"_Some of the blood has already been identified,"_ the newscaster went on, _"One of the victims has been identified as Shinji Koda, who had only been working for Mr. Fujiwaka for two days on the day of the gunfight, which the police assume was last Wednesday. His employer said he was shocked to find out afterwards that Koda has been charged more than twelve times for assault and attempted rape. According to the police, Koda could be sentenced to life in prison, if he will ever be found alive."_

"Shinji Koda… isn't that the guy who was working for Yisuba-san? The one who attacked Kisara?" Mika wondered out loud. Kisara nodded slowly. Seto didn't react at all. Wednesday… the day Mokuba left and didn't come back… The newscaster cleared her throat once again and continued her story.

"_Another victim we should mention appears to be a teenage boy. A lot of his blood was found on the scene, but according to the police, no hospital treated him. The boy in question happens to be Mokuba Kaiba, a seventeen-year old high school student. No one knows why he could've been on the scene. Doctors who are helping the police in investigating the case fear for the young man's life. According to them, it is likely that the boy died, judging by his blood loss and likely lack of medical attention."_

Seto's world collapsed.

* * *

**Aaaahh, am I being a bitch or what? Come on, say it, say it! *BITCH!* Thank you *bows***

**Yeah, I'm in the mood for a little angstiness. Anyway, next chapter is already being written.**

**Poll status  
Open, please vote.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Next chapter will be the crew's first day in Vegas. That's it.  
Will the rescue squad arrive at the Fujiwaka mansion in time to save Saeko?  
Mokuba wakes up.  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Emiko is convinced that Mokuba has died.  
What's worse, her father has already chosen her future husband. How will Emiko react to that?  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a review or something.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	24. Chapter 21

**The second chapter of today! Haha! Am I good or what? *victorydance* This chapter is all taking place in Japan, you'll see more of Vegas next time.**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Emiko meets her fiancé.  
Mokuba wakes up. Yay!  
The twins are sulking.  
What happened to Kiyomi?  
Uh-oh, Hasako catches the rescue squad.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Friday, May 20, 11.00 AM_

The first thing that Mokuba noticed when he woke up was that his back hurt like hell. The second thing was that he was lying in both a bed and a room that were not his own. The last thing he noticed was a pissed off looking girl who was sitting in a chair next to his bed with her arms folded. Raiku was sulking. But she smiled brightly as soon as she saw that Mokuba had opened his eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" she sing-songed. Mokuba tried smiling at her, but it was too much effort.

"Where am I, and what happened?" he asked in a cracking voice.

"You are in Pegasus' mansion, and you were shot," the girl answered with a flat look. "The others are out to go and get Saeko-san and Emiko. Since we're both injured, they wouldn't take us along."

Mokuba managed a nod. He remembered everything now. Raiku wasn't done yet.

"The gunfight has been on the news. Your blood was found and you are now assumed to be dead. I looked it up just now, and the reports are being broadcast all over the world."

Mokuba frowned. That didn't sound good. _Shit!_

"Seto!" he cried out. Raiku gave him a funny look.

"Seto, my brother… he doesn't know what happened, right?" Mokuba asked frantically, not caring about the pain in his ribs as he tried to sit up. Raiku simply stood up and pushed him down.

"Calm down, you need rest. I'll tell Yisuba-san as soon as possible. Now, sleep."

"But…"

"Sleep."

"No, I…"

"Mokuba, I'll knock you unconscious otherwise, so go to _sleep_."

Mokuba sighed. There was no arguing with this girl. The next second, he slept.

}:{

Meanwhile, Pegasus, Yisuba, Nori and Risa were on their way to the Fujiwaka mansion to save Saeko and Emiko. Risa was sulking a bit because she had had to leave her sister behind, and the men were busy talking about the phone call Pegasus had received the day before. It had been his agent, a woman called Kiyomi, who'd worked in the Fujiwaka household as Emiko's maid. This is what she'd told.

Fujiwaka had tricked Emiko into sending him a file that contained a list of servants who were loyal to Fujiwaka and who were loyal to Emiko. Kiyomi's name had been on the latter list. Fujiwaka had drugged and kidnapped every servant on that list. They'd been locked up in the same maze where he had held Nori and Raiku captive. After a few hours, his men had come to take the servants to a different location. They'd been brought to a deserted industrial area that was close to the river. The guards had ordered them to put rocks under their clothes, which had told Kiyomi she'd have to escape. The others, still too drugged too care much, had obeyed, but Kiyomi had sneaked away. The guards hadn't even noticed. When they were satisfied with the amount of rocks, the men had ordered Kiyomi's colleagues to go stand at the river-bank. The poor men and women (nine people in total) had obeyed instantly, after which the guards had shot them. Their bodies had fallen into the river and sunk instantly. Kiyomi had escaped and called Pegasus.

That man is working on expanding his criminal record like there is no tomorrow," Yisuba said while wiping sweat from his forehead with a dark brown handkerchief. The other men nodded.

"He sure is taking out the big guns, now," Nori agreed. Pegasus just stared out of the window as they got closer and closer to their destination.

}:{

_12.04 PM_

Emiko was lying on her bed. She was no longer sobbing, but she didn't feel any better. She'd cried for hours and hours, and now she didn't have any tears left.

The news of her parents' sudden "divorce" had struck her like lightning and she didn't believe a word of it. Her father announcing his marriage to Hasako immediately after was no surprise. Emiko still didn't know what to think of Hasako. She'd been hating the woman for years now, but her sudden change in behavior from earlier had turned Emiko's head pretty much upside down.

Hasako had given her back her photos of Mokuba, for which she was immensely glad.

_Mokuba…_

The tears started again. Her friend. Her very best friend. Her _boyfriend_. It was just too cruel. Just when Emiko had finally been happy, the heavens had taken him away from her, never to come back. Emiko had prayed since last night. Prayed that it wasn't true, prayed for a sign, but there was nothing. Nothing at all. Mokuba was just… gone. Dead.

_Murdered…_

It was all very clear in Emiko's head. Mokuba had been killed by her father's stupid goons. Emiko derived some comfort from the knowledge that her boyfriend had at least taken some of those bastards with him.

But now there was a new problem: Emiko's father and his plans for his daughter. With Mokuba out of the picture, there were only very few people who could and _would_ keep any of those plans from happening.

At that moment, the door opened, and Emiko saw her father step into her bedroom. He was accompanied by a young man, in his early twenties, by the looks of it. He was wearing a black suit, and he looked like he _really_ didn't want to be there. Fujiwaka took him to Emiko's bed and looked down at the girl.

"why, Emiko, I understand that the news about your mother and my divorce was a lot to take in, but surely not _this_ much?" Fujiwaka asked her mockingly. Emiko didn't answer, she just looked at her father with intense hatred in her eyes. Fujiwaka turned to the young man.

"My dear daughter, allow me to introduce you to this young man. You remember Matsuhita-san, don't you? Well, this is his second son, Masao. Masao, meet my daughter, Emiko."

Masao bowed, Emiko merely nodded and ignored him. She knew it. She _knew_ it! Her father wanted her to marry, rather sooner than later. And _of course_ he wouldn't marry her, the only daughter in a family with no sons, to the first son of another family, scared that her husband might one day take over the company. It was always about the company!

Well, Masao probably didn't like this situation more than she did. Thanks heavens that he was more like his sister Junko than that he was like his older brother Hideki. Not only did Hideki have less brain capacity than a _rock_, but he was also ugly, and whiny, and insanely spoiled. Emiko shivered at the thought. Oh well, the heavens must've thought that they owed Emiko at least a decent substitute for Mokuba. Not that there was _anyone_ Emiko thought good enough, but Masao would have to do, apparently.

He wasn't bad looking. His hair was black, his eyes were dark brown, he had fair skin, and he looked intelligent.

Fujiwaka noticed that his daughter was trying to ignore Masao, while they were both trying to make the other out. This was good. He decided to make it even better.

"Emiko, I know that this is kind of sudden, but my friend Matsuhita and I have decided to marry you to Masao a month after your eighteenth birthday, so that would be in November this year. I'll now leave you alone so that you can get to know each other. Masao, I trust you not to touch my daughter."

Masao nodded and Fujiwaka turned to leave when Emiko calmly spoke up.

"I won't do it."

Fujiwaka had sort of expected this, but he had really hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with this. He sighed and turned around.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Emiko, but I'm afraid that you don't have a single choice in the matter. You'll marry Masao in November, and that's final."

Emiko stood up from the bed and put her hands on her hips.

"I won't marry him," she said again, "And I'll tell you why. I _can't_ marry him!"

Fujiwaka raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Really? And why is that?" he asked her. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man right there.

"Because," Emiko hissed, "_Because_ that would mean that I'd have to have sex with this man. He'd be taking my _virginity_, which I'll only give to the man I love. And since he no longer lives, I'll die untouched."

With that, she sat down on the bed stubbornly, looking her father in the eye and _daring_ him to disagree. Which he did, of course.

"Girl, I don't care about what you want, you'll do as I say! And if you don't, then I'll force you!" Fujiwaka fumed. He turned to Masao, who was standing there like he'd rather be somewhere else at the moment.

"Masao," Fujiwaka said, "I've just changed my mind. I'll be going to go to work, and in the meantime, you have my permission to _fuck my daughter!_"

He ran out of the room, slammed the door shut, and _locked_ it. Emiko was already on her feet and on the other side of the bed, ready to fight Masao if needed. But she didn't need it. Masao sighed and sat down.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you," he sat tiredly. Emiko didn't move.

"Look, I don't _want_ to marry you, okay? So that feeling is mutual," Masao went on, clearly stressed. Emiko slowly moved to the window.

"Do you… have a girlfriend?" she asked shyly. Masao turned red, but nodded.

"We've been going out for about a year and a half now," he told her, "Only my sister and my best friend know. Midori - my girlfriend - is a waitress at my favorite restaurant. My parent would _never_ allow me to marry her, but we love each other. When father told me he'd chosen a bride for me…"

Here his voice cracked. Emiko knew exactly what he meant.

"My father had his goons kill my boyfriend," she said. Masao nodded. "I already figured something happened to him."

Emiko could sense a fresh wave of tears coming up. Masao got up, walked over to her, and gave her big hug.

}:{

It was almost half past one in the afternoon when Yisuba and co. decided to make their move (they'd already found out that Emiko's tutor hadn't shown up today). Pegasus ordered his men to keep watch while Nori and Risa went to the back of the house. The back door they had used when they arrived at the dinner party was open, for some reason, and after some careful watching for traps, the duo went into the house. They only had to take cover when some maids came down the main stairs, but after they were gone, Nori and Risa sneaked upstairs.

Getting to the attic was tricky, but they didn't encounter many people. When they reached the door that lead to the stairs that reached to the attic, they found the door closed.

"Shit," Nori mumbled, before taking out his tools to pick the lock. He wasn't even finished yet when they heard a woman clearing her throat. Nori and Risa turned around, only to see Hasako standing there, watching them curiously.

"Excuse me," she said politely, "But are you, by any chance, looking for lady Saeko?"

Nori and Risa looked at each other. Then, Risa slowly nodded. Hasako sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness," she whispered. Then she turned to the duo.

"She's been moved to somewhere else. Follow me."

She quickly walked away. The other two followed, not really knowing what else to do. Hasako kept talking.

"There's a trap on the door to the attic, that's how Ken knew about you guys sneaking around on the night of the dinner party. Don't look so surprised, I know everything. Anyway, after that, Ken had me move Saeko to somewhere else. I'm so glad you're here, though! I'm being watched as well, but only downstairs and outside, don't ask me why. Ken plans on having Saeko killed, tonight."

Nori stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?" he asked in disbelief. Risa urged him to keep walking. Hasako just walked on as well. They were now in a darker part of the house that seemed to not even be lived in by the servants. Hasako walked all the way to the end of the hallway, took a key out of her pocket and opened a door. There was a tiny room behind the door. There was a blanket, nothing else. Nothing, except for the woman in the room. Saeko looked even worse than the last time Risa had seen her. Saeko was lying on the ground, barely conscious.

"Ken doesn't want anyone to take care of her," Hasako explained. "It's been really hard to keep her alive."

Nori walked into the room and picked Saeko up in his arms, alarmed at how light she was. In the meantime, Hasako gave something to Risa.

"This is a recorder," she explained. "I've been using it for a little while now. Listen to what's on it later, but _don't lose it_!"

Risa nodded, before turning to turning to Nori.

"Get Saeko out of here, I'll go and get Emiko," she said. Hasako gasped.

"That'll be difficult," she said. "Ken has chosen a husband for her. That man is now with her. I'll come with you, girl. I'll tell Emiko to come out for a minute and then you can run. Leave that man to me."

Nori hesitated.

"Use the stairs in the back. No one uses those at this hour. Go!" Hasako said while shooing Nori away. Nori left, and Hasako took Risa to Emiko's room. She knocked, and opened the door a little, so that whoever was inside could see her, but not Risa.

"Excuse me, Emiko, could you come here for a minute. She'll be right back!"

Emiko hadn't even reached the door yet when the young man in the room spoke up.

"You're helping her escape, right?" The three women stopped breathing. Risa in shock, Hasako near despair, and Emiko in disbelief.

"It's okay, take her. Get her out of here," man said then. Risa couldn't see anything, but she heard some rustling, a quick 'thank you' and then Emiko was standing next to her, wearing a half long black skirt and a plain red shirt. She was wearing sneakers and she held a white envelope in her hands. Photos of Mokuba, Risa knew.

Emiko looked like she'd gone through hell recently, but she was eager to leave.

Hasako lead the two girls down the stairs in the back (she'd left Masao in Emiko's room. He hadn't minded). Nori was waiting next to the back door.

"Quickly, get in the car!" he hissed. Risa took Emiko's hand and all but dragged her to Yisuba's car. Pegasus' car was just leaving. Taking Saeko to the mansion, no doubt. Pegasus himself was sitting next to Yisuba, calmly watching the spectacle in front of him. Emiko threw herself at her grandfather and started to cry. Yisuba held her and let her cry. He couldn't believe that Hasako was there.

"Don't mind me," she said with a sad smile. "Just make sure they are safe. I'll handle Ken. Good luck."

She turned around and went back into the house.

"Go!" Nori told the driver, and the car left.

* * *

**And we're done for the day. The next chapter will be there soon.**

**Poll status  
Open, please vote.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues.  
My first boy/girl lemon.  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Well, as usual, reviews and overall feedback are most appreciated.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	25. Chapter 22

**And another chapter. Short, but sweet, if you ask me. And OMG, 6(!) reviews on the last chapter! SIX! And such nice reviews, too! I'm so happy! Thank you so much!**

**Special thanks**

**BeautifulXinXBlood - Oh, I'm glad to hear that I've managed to put Seto/Kisara a bit more in the spotlights ^^ Yay, chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, thank you so much :D It made me very happy to read that you like my writing style. Thank you so much for your review, it made me insanely happy :D And also thanks a bunch for adding this story to your Story Alert List and Favorite Stories List. You made me very happy indeed!**

**Dragongal - A reunion is coming up (well, threee or so acutally... no, wait! Four!), so no need to worry about that. Oh, Fujiwaka will be _furious_! Fujiwaka+Losing control=Not good. But more of that in the next chapters. Thanks for reviewing, I'll try to keep you on the edge of your seat :D**

**Eragonfan - I was already wondering where you'd run off to, but I hope you had an awesome party :) Giving Emiko a horrible fiancé is something that I simply couldn't do to her. And besides, having Fujiwaka's evil plans backfire is always a lot of fun :3 I'm having this _phenomenal _speech planned for Hasako (at leaast, _I_ think it'll be phenomenal), but now I have to shut up, otherwise you guys might be able to figure it out and I'm having so much fun with your confusion :D You know, you are the only one who mentioned Shinji. That surprised me. Yeah, I might bring the sleaze ball back to finish him off publicly once and for all, but I'm still working on that. Thanks for the review!**

**emily - Such an overwhelming plea was impossible for me to ignore. I hope to have satisfied you for the time being. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Hey, I was done with the first chapter early, so I thought: why not update twice? And it's only just past noon at the moment, so who knows for today? Anyway, how about the complete shock _and_ the war path? Why pick one if you can have both? That's what I thought, both it is! I thought that squeezing both locations in one chapter would be either too overwhelming, or confusing, not only for you, but for me as well. And you called Hasako by her first name! I'm shocked x3 Hihihi... But yeah, she deserves it now, doesn't she? Thanks for reviewing :D**

**DragonHeart64 - You actually managed to review before HopelessRomantic183 did, I'm surprised :D Hahahaha xD Anyways, on to the review: I thought it would add to the suspense to have the broadcast take place before Seto finds out that Mokuba was shot but OK. Plus, it gives a good excuse for some dramatic scenes x3 As for Mokuba being a second son and thus an OK candidate, yes, you're right, but Fujiwaka started to hate Mokuba as soon as he found out that he was hanging out with Emiko. So it's a no-no. Hahahaha! I _love_ that speculation about Hasako's motives! I like it a lot, and it would make perfect sense! But I hope you don't mind that I'll stick to my own plan for this one, since I have it all planned out already :) Anyway, thanks for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues  
Mika and Kisara are planning on hindering Fujiwaka.  
Seto is a bit lost. But can you seriously blame him?  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Las Vegas, Friday, May 20,10.07 AM_

_Original POV_

Mika had eventually gone to sleep, not really knowing what else she could do, but Kisara had stayed with Seto all night.

After the news of Mokuba's death, Mika had immediately turned the TV off. Seto had been in shock, but he hadn't cried. He still hadn't cried. He didn't react to anything. He just lay on his bed and looked up at the ceiling with this empty look in his eyes.

Kisara didn't know what to do. She thought about her father's death, four years earlier, but that was totally different from this situation. Kisara's father had had cancer. It couldn't be cured, so Kisara had known that she was going to lose her father soon. But Mokuba had been murdered. There was no way to predict such a thing, his death was sudden.

Kisara thought about calling Risa, but it was only two in the morning in Domino City, so her cousin's advice would have to wait. But what to do then?

Kisara decided to try to get Seto to react. So she walked up to the bed and sat down. Nothing. She took his hand in hers. He pulled back instantly, but not before Kisara noticed how cold he was. Well, he had reacted, but he was obviously not in the mood for physical contact. So Kisara tried talking. But he didn't talk back. There was no sign that he even heard her. In the end, Kisara sighed and gave up for the moment.

"Just know that I love you, and that I'm here for you," she spoke softly, before standing up to go for a little walk to stretch her legs.

"I know," Seto said suddenly. Kisara slowly turned around. Seto had turned his head away from her, but she could still see the tears that he could no longer hold back. Knowing that he needed some privacy, even though she didn't want to leave him alone, Kisara left the room.

}:{

Seto had now officially given up on holding back his tears. As soon as he heard the door close behind Kisara, he let go. He cried, but he didn't make a sound.

At first, he hadn't been able to believe it. Hell, he _still_ couldn't believe it! But then it had slowly sunk in that his baby brother was just… gone.

It was a weird and very sick realization that he was now alone in the world. Mokuba had been his only family for years, and now he was gone. It was only a very slightly comforting thought that Mokuba was now with their parents.

Most of all, Seto was feeling guilty. The little voice in the back of his head that had taken a habit of speaking its mind whenever it thought convenient was now constantly reminding seta that he was in no way to blame for his brother's death, but that didn't really help. Seto had sworn to protect his brother and he had failed miserably. And failure was something he _despised!_

Seto wondered whether or not Mokuba had suffered. He made himself believe that that was not the case. His brother hadn't suffered and had died instantly, without feeling any pain whatsoever. Yeah, considering the circumstances, that was probably the best. Would he blame Seto? Probably not. Knowing Mokuba, he'd feel guilty for making Seto feel so miserable.

Seto was still crying, but he found it odd that he didn't care much. If anything, it felt good to let it all out. It was wearing him out, maybe he could even get some sleep. Sleep sounded good at the moment. Never waking up sounded even better.

No! That, he wouldn't do! Not only would Mokuba never have wanted that, but it would make Kisara cry. It would hurt her. Seto couldn't allow that, he _loved_ her.

A light knock on the door snapped him back into reality.

"Seto? It's Mika," the voice of his secretary said apologetically.

"What do you want?" Seto snapped. There was silence for a moment.

"I came to tell you that I've cancelled today's meeting. I said you aren't feeling well and that you've forbidden the rest of the crew to go without you," Mika answered. Seto groaned.

"Well, _that_'ll give them a nice impression of me," he grumbled. He could hear Mika's chuckles even as she tried to muffle them."

"Well, actually, they thought it to be highly admirable," she said. Seto had the urge to shake his head. _Americans…_

"Thanks," he said sadly. Silence.

"Seto?" Mika said, "We're here for you, alright? Try to get some sleep for now."

She walked away, and Seto was alone once again. He sighed and took his cell phone out of his pocket. Mokuba would never pick up the phone again. Damn, he'd never hear his little brother's voice anymore! Seto felt the urge to start crying all over again.

He couldn't help it. His body was acting all on its own. He hesitantly pressed a button, and speed dialed Mokuba's cell phone number.

}:{

Mika and Kisara sat at the table in Mika's room, both with a big cup of coffee. Traces of dried tears were visible on Mika's cheeks.

"I just can't believe it," Mika said. "He was only seventeen, it's not fair for someone so young to die."

Kisara nodded, not knowing what to say.

"I can't stop wondering what he was doing in such a place," she murmured. Mika looked at her thoughtfully.

"That reminds me…" she said. "Didn't the broadcast say that the gunfight was near the Fujiwaka Company?"

Kisara nodded slowly.

"And Mokuba is in love with Fujiwaka's daughter, right?"

Another nod. Kisara had a feeling as to where this was going.

"Then what are the odds that Fujiwaka somehow managed to lure Mokuba to that place and murdered him?" Mika asked no one in particular. Kisara frowned.

"I admit that it's a possibility," she said. "Actually, it's probable. But how to prove such a thing?"

Mika shook her head.

"Proving it won't be the difficulty," she said. "But if it's true, then there are two things that could make it difficult to punish Fujiwaka for it."

"Like?"

"Well, one problem would be that Fujiwaka has the influence and more importantly the money to keep himself out of jail. Then the danger would continue to exist. But I'm more worried about the second problem."

"Which is?"

"Seto?"

Kisara raised her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" she said. Mika chuckled.

"Well, as soon as he starts thinking about it, Seto will also come to the conclusion that Fujiwaka is in some way responsible for his brother's death. Knowing Seto and his endless love for Mokuba, we might end up with a dead suspect," she explained. Kisara bit her lip.

"But I can't believe that Seto would ever kill someone," she said. Mika shrugged.

"You'd be surprised at what he would do for his brother. Seto would find being sentenced to life in prison a small price to pay if it meant being able to avenge Mokuba."

Kisara still couldn't believe it, but then again, Mika had known Seto for a way longer time than she had.

"Yisuba-san seems to know Fujiwaka well," she said. "Do you think he'd be able to find evidence…"

"Yisuba-san is already investigating Fujiwaka. I'm not sure whether or not you knew this already, but Fujiwaka is the husband of Yisuba-san's daughter, and he's never treated her well. Yisuba-san got suspicious of the man at one point, although I don't know the story behind that, and decided to see if Fujiwaka was maybe a bad guy."

"Well, it looks like he is."

"Indeed."

They drank their coffee and stayed silent for a little while, until Kisara thought of something else.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked Mika. Mika looked out of the window. It was a sunny day, as was usual in Vegas, and the city was quiet.

"We'll make Seto go to the other meetings, one way or the other. I don't care if I have to talk for him, _he will be there!_ Then we'll go back to Japan, and I guess that our top priority would then have to be keeping Seto away from Fujiwaka. I'm sure Yisuba-san would like to help. He's planning on getting his daughter and Emiko out of the Fujiwaka mansion, to keep them safe. I'm not sure how far he is with that plan, but I know that he wants to wait charging Fujiwaka until his daughter and Emiko are safe."

"What are those charges?"

"Yisuba-san's never told me. But he knew Mokuba well, and I'm sure he believes as well that Fujiwaka had him murdered. So Fujiwaka will be accused of murder in the very least."

"Could Fujiwaka be sentenced to life in prison?"

"That would depend on what Yisuba-san has found out."

"Then I hope he's found out a lot," Kisara said spitefully. Mika looked at her amused.

"Yes, I hope so, too."

* * *

**Cliffie! Oh, do I _love_ cliffhangers!**

**Poll status  
Open, please vote.**

**Request  
I'm looking for a wedding dress for Hasako. If you find a cool dress on the internet, do not hesitate to send me a link, okay? Make sure to put an * in the place of a dot. This website doesn't seem to like dots much. Thanks.  
**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
Will Mokuba pick up the phone?  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues. Again.  
My first boy/girl lemon.  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**As usual, reviews and overall feedback are most appreciated.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan**


	26. Chapter 23

**The next chapter already. Oh yeah, am I good or what? Hahahaha! Kidding xD Thanks for the reviews once again.**

**Special thanks**

**DragonHeart64 - I absolutely agree, bottling up your emotions is only more painful in the long run. Yes, the chapter was a bit sad, but that's pretty much what I was aiming for. I hope that you'll like this chapter. Thanks a lot for reviewing :D**

**Dragongal - Thanks for the compliment ^^ Find out how this little drama goes on in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Eragonfan - Now I almost wish that I'd waited a little longer with the revelation of Mokuba being alive xD Yeah, Mika and Kisara's reactions are something that I'm still working on, but... oh well, just read on :) I'm glad you liked last chapter. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Just you wait! I'll post an even sadder chapter before this story's over! Mhwuahahaha! The idea of Pegasus picking up the phone is really entertaining *imagines it... giggles* But no, even I wouldn't do that :) I'm glad you liked the chapter. The phone call is present in this chapter, and I hope you'll like it. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Emily - You know, just that first sentence in your review made me really happy. Thank you :3 A violent reaction would be just like Seto, but I was moe in for the sad approach. But maybe later... no, _definitely_ later :) I hope you'll like this chapter. Thanks a lot for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Emiko + Mokuba = ?  
Emiko sees her mother again.  
Fujiwaka is not happy. Surprised?  
The Phone Call. Capital letters are used for a reason.  
Can you guess why Mokuba is so happy?  
What does Fujiwaka's criminal record say?  
Fujiwaka might actually succeed this time. Uh-oh...**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Friday, May 20, 15.26 PM_

_Original POV_

Emiko looked around in awe as the small group walked into Pegasus' mansion.

"Your mother is currently being examined by my doctor," Pegasus informed the girl. "We'll let you go and see her when he's done. Some of the maids are preparing a room for you. I suggest you get some rest once they're done."

Emiko nodded. Risa frowned.

"She's coming with me, first," she stated. "I want to introduce her to Raiku, and there's a surprise waiting for her, remember?"

Yisuba chuckled. "Yes, you're right," he said. "Go. We'll see you at dinner."

He gave Emiko a hug before Risa grabbed the other girl's arm and all but dragged her upstairs. For the record, Emiko still didn't know that Mokuba was alive.

The girls encountered Raiku on the second floor. The twins hugged each other passionately, with so much force that Emiko was surprised that all their ribs were still in place when they let go of each other. Risa quickly pushed her sister in Emiko's direction.

"Raiku, this is Emiko. Emiko, this is my twin sister, Raiku."

Emiko was about to bow politely, but she never got the chance since Raiku was hugging her about as passionately as she'd hugged her sister (although she was considerate enough to use less force).

"I'm so happy to see you!" the older twin exclaimed. "And you are all right! That makes me so very happy, happy, happy!"

Emiko didn't know what to make of this girl. Sure, she seemed nice and all, but… she was kind of… crazy? Risa carefully peeled her twin off of Emiko, still laughing about Raiku's antics. Raiku just smiled brightly, before realizing that she might have over done it a little. Enthusiasm can do that.

Risa quickly pulled Emiko towards the room Raiku had come out of.

"Just go inside," she said, before pushing Emiko inside and closing the door. Emiko looked at the closed door dumbly. Then she slowly turned around. It was pretty dark in the room since the heavy, dark red curtains were closed. Emiko could barely see the bed in the room. She walked up to the window and slowly opened the curtains, admiring the view she had on the lake.

There was a sound coming from the bed and Emiko turned around. The next second, she yelped and she had to lean against the wall to keep herself from falling to the floor. In the bed lay a young man whom she believed to be dead. He had been sleeping. He was a bit pale, but he seemed to be alright. His eyes were shut tight because of the bright sunlight in the room, and he still wasn't fully awake yet, but he was alive and it was obviously Mokuba. Emiko felt like crying.

Mokuba had woken up from the noise of curtains being opened. He'd opened his eyes and shut them again immediately after to block out the light that attacked his eyes. Then he'd heard someone yelping. He wondered who it could be. Not one of the maids or the twins, since they knew he was here. So then…

_Hold it right there!_

Mokuba quickly sat up and opened his eyes, not caring about either the pain in his ribs or the bright light, and then he looked at Emiko. For a few seconds, nothing moved. Then Emiko slowly moved to the bed. Mokuba could only stare. She was there. They had succeeded. Emiko was safe! He smiled.

"Good to see you again," he said in a drowsy voice. Emiko gasped.

"You're real!" she exclaimed. "You're alive!"

Mokuba tilted his head a bit.

"Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I…" He trailed off. Then his eyes widened.

"You watched the news," he said. It wasn't a question, but Emiko nodded anyway.

"They said… they said you're…" she couldn't finish. Mokuba slowly opened his arms, and she fell into them. He held her for a long time as she cried softly. He was so happy.

"It takes more than one stupid bullet to knock me out," he joked. Emiko laughed shakily. Her laugh still sounded like sunlight.

"Had I only known that earlier," she answered. Mokuba smiled again.

"It's alright now," he said. "It's alright."

}:{

It wasn't until after dinner that they let Emiko see her mother. Saeko lay in a warm and comfortable bed and she was sleeping. Her skin was unnaturally pale, she looked about fifteen years older than she was and Emiko had never been happier to see her. She sat down on the edge of her mother's bed and took the woman's hand. She started to cry, but she ignored it.

Saeko slowly opened her eyes. It was difficult for her to focus on anything. She saw Emiko, however, and started to cry as well.

"Don't worry," Emiko whispered. "We're safe here. Father won't be able to touch us here. Grandpa will make sure of that. You just get better, mom. Just get better."

Saeko nodded weakly, and Emiko hugged her fiercely.

}:{

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Fujiwaka was pretty much furious when he found out that Saeko and Emiko were gone. Hasako claimed to have had a very long phone call with a friend of hers and Masao was gone when Fujiwaka got home. Not that Fujiwaka thought the young man would be of any help in this. After all, why would Masao want his future bride to escape? Plus, he didn't know about Saeko's condition. So that left Fujiwaka with next to no suspects. He thought that Nori and those twin girls had something to do with it all, but he had no idea where they were or where they _could_ be. Fujiwaka didn't think that those three alone would have been able to pull off a stunt like this, not in the least since one of the girls had been shot, but who could be their accomplice, Fujiwaka didn't know. It had to be someone with influence, no doubt, but _who_ then? Yisuba? Well, the man was Saeko's father and Emiko's grandfather, but he had had next to no contact with either of them for years, so it was out of the question that he'd helped Nori and the twins.

Which brought Fujiwaka back to square one. He sat down in a big chair in one of his studies, fuming with rage. This was bad for his upcoming marriage, for the future of his company, for his business-relationship with his friend Matsuhita. Hell, it was all in all _terrible_!

"Damn it," he muttered. "Just when everything was going according to plan… damn!"

Fujiwaka was interrupted by a knock on the door. His valet came in, followed by a scared looking guard.

"Milord," the valet said, "Your head of security would like to have a word with you."

With that, the man left, leaving the shaking guard alone with Fujiwaka. The latter began to quickly lose what little patience he had.

"Well?" he asked the man. "Come on, out with it!"

The guard took a deep breath.

"Yes, milord. I've come to report to you. It's about the special mission."

Fujiwaka's face lit up a little.

"Ah, yes, the servants. And?" he asked. The other man gulped.

"Well… we counted, and… milord, one of them escaped without either me or my men noticing."

It was said in a hurry, but Fujiwaka had heard every single word. His face paled. This was not good.

"Go on," he said calmly. The guard nodded before continuing.

"Well, milord… of course we started looking immediately. We've already discovered that the one who escaped is a woman in her twenties called Kiyomi Nakahara. She was a maid of your daughter's. We've found traces, but that's it for the time being."

Fujiwaka nodded weakly as he processed this new information.

"I trust you know what to do when you find her?" he asked. The guard quickly nodded.

"Good. Find her. I don't care how, just _find her_!"

}:{

_Saturday, May 21, 2.49 AM_

Mokuba woke up in the middle of the night and cursed whoever was calling him on his cell phone at this hour of the night. He reached out blindly and grabbed the phone. Seto was calling him.

Oh… shit.

Somehow, Mokuba knew that no one had called his brother yet. He quickly pressed a button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Seto," he mumbled, before yawning. "As glad as I am that you're calling, do you realize that it's the middle of the night here?"

No response. Then, Mokuba could hear a very weird noise. Was that… _sobbing?_ Okay… that freaked him out a bit.

"Seto?" he asked. "Hey… big brother… are you alright?"

"You were… I thought you were _dead_…" came the soft spoken response. Mokuba felt guilt crushing him. So his brother had watched the news as well and thought him dead. Shit.

"I'm sorry…" he said. "I… I should've called you, I-I… I'm so sorry, Seto!"

Mokuba could feel the tears that threatened to fall. He quickly wiped them away. Now was not the time.

"What happened to you?" Seto asked. Mokuba took a moment to search his memories.

"I got a call from Yisuba-san," he answered. "He said that his nephew and some girl were kidnapped. Those two were going to help in getting Emiko away from her father. I decided to help, even though Yisuba-san told me not to. I met up with that girl's twin, we found Nori and Raiku - that's Yisuba-san's nephew and the girl - and we wanted to get out. Then… wait, let me think for a moment… oh, yeah, then we got caught, but Pegasus and his men helped out, but before we could escape, one of Fujiwaka's guys shot me in the back, and… and the next thing I remember is waking up in this room in a mansion of Pegasus'. Yisuba managed to rescue Emiko and her mother today…. no, wait, _yesterday_, and now Yisuba wants to charge Fujiwaka for some stuff he's done, but I can't remember the details."

Seto didn't interrupt Mokuba once during his story, but his little brother could tell he was _very_ pissed off.

"You left the house without anyone knowing about it? What were you thinking?" Seto shouted, causing Mokuba to quickly get the phone away from his ear.

"I figured someone might've stopped me," he defended himself.

"With good reason! That man is dangerous, Mokuba!"

"But I'm alright, Seto…"

"You were _shot_! I thought you were _dead_! I thought…" Seto trailed off. Mokuba could vaguely hear him cry. That was unnatural for his brother. He felt guilty again. Seto sounded almost desperate, he was crying, he was hurt, and all that because Mokuba hadn't bothered to call him to tell him that everything was all right.

"You… you did it for your girlfriend… didn't you?" Seto asked suddenly.

"Well… yeah." Seto gave a short laugh that didn't sound happy at all, rather helpless in fact.

"Then… I guess I can't even blame you," Seto said. Mokuba didn't answer. He could hear how his brother took some deep breaths to calm down.

"You said… Fujiwaka is to blame for all this, correct?"

"Yes," Mokuba said slowly.

"He knows you like his daughter…"

"Seto, I don't _like_ her, I _love_ her!"

"Same thing, don't interrupt, just answer. Fujiwaka hates you, correct?"

"Ehm… I guess."

"And you were shot by his men."

"Yes."

"…"

"Seto?"

"Nothing. That's all I needed to know. Pegasus helped out?"

"Yeah, it's his doctor who took care of me. Apparently, without him… I would've died for real…" Mokuba answered weakly. He wasn't really sure how to handle his older brother right now. Seto didn't say anything for a while.

"Promise me, Mokuba. Promise me that you'll _never_, not _ever_, scare me like again. Promise!"

Mokuba smiled, this time not stopping the tear that rolled down his cheek.

"I promise."

"Good." Seto sounded relieved. "I'll be back next Tuesday morning. Stay at Pegasus' until then, okay?"

"Would that be okay with him?"

"Don't worry, I'll handle that. Oh, and… Mokuba?"

"Yes?"

"…"

"Seto?"

"… I love you, little brother." Seto hung up. Mokuba cried. From happiness.

}:{

_8.55 AM_

"What did you find out, uncle?" Nori asked at breakfast. Saeko was still in bed, but the rest - Pegasus, Yisuba, Nori, Raiku, Risa, Emiko and even Mokuba - was having breakfast together. Yisuba was sitting at the head of the table (although he'd refused at first, saying that that was Pegasus' place, since he was the host. Pegasus, however, had calmly sat down at Yisuba's right, saying that he was just being respectful to those older than him. Yisuba had sat down), with Pegasus at his right, Nori at his left, the twins at Nori's side and Mokuba and Emiko next to Pegasus. Nori was asking his uncle about what the man had found out about Fujiwaka's not so legal activities.

"Well," Yisuba said while stirring his tea, "Quite a lot, actually."

He took a sip from his tea, made a face, and added some more sugar to it. Nori was waiting for more information. Yisuba sipped from his tea again and, satisfied, continued.

"Fujiwaka has close relationships with the yakuza. I've found prove that he is also guilty of corruption, blackmailing, drug and weapon smuggling, murder and, as we all know and have seen examples of, attempted murder."

Mokuba gulped. Yep, he knew all about that.

"Could it be enough to get him in jail for life?" Raiku asked with interest. Yisuba nodded.

"If proven, yes. Luckily, Pegasus has received valuable information from his agent. I'll visit the court today. Pegasus will go with me. Nori, would you do me a favor and keep an eye on Saeko and these children?"

Nori didn't seem to like the job of babysitting, as did the four teens not seem to like being called 'children', but Yisuba ignored that.

"Good," he said. "We'll be back for dinner, then."

Yisuba and Pegasus rose from their chairs to take their leave, but before they got outside the mansion, a man quickly approached them. He whispered something to Pegasus.

"Are you sure?" Pegasus asked the man, frowning. The man nodded and said something else, after which he left. Pegasus turned to Yisuba with a stunned look on his face.

"My agent," he said. "She was just brought in. She is severely injured."

Yisuba didn't understand immediately.

"Your agent?" he asked.

"The one who escaped the other day. Kiyomi Nakahara."

* * *

**Thus ends this chapter! Thank you all for reading, I hope you liked it.**

**Poll status  
Open, please vote.**

**Request  
I'm looking for a wedding dress for Hasako. If you find a cool dress on the internet, do not hesitate to send me a link, okay? Make sure to put an * in the place of a dot. This website doesn't seem to like dots much. Thanks.  
**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Will Kiyomi survive?  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues. Again.  
My first boy/girl lemon.  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**As usual, reviews and overall feedback are most appreciated.**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan**


	27. Chapter 24

**It took me some time, but I just started university, and I've been sort of stressed about it and wasn't able to write much. But I'm back! The first part of this chapter was written a week or so ago, the other part I wrote today. While writing the first part, I didn't really have 'flow', if you know what I mean, so it might seem a bit off.  
**

**Special thanks**

**eyepod - Thanks a bunch for adding this story to your Story Alert List and Favorite Stories List. Thanks for adding me to your Favorite Authors List, and thanks for adding my other Yu-Gi-Oh fice to your Favorite Stories List as well. It's all most appreciated :)**

**hawkfrost54 - Thanks for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List :)**

**Dinah Nuzzler - Thank you for adding me to your Favorite Authors List :)  
**

**DargonHeart64 - I'm very sorry that I didn't include any details about the dress, but I'll get to that in the A/N at the bottom, okay? As for the rest of your review: you're just the sweetest. Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to keep it up. Thanks for reviewing :)  
**

**Eragonfan - Your enthusiasm burst from my computer screen xD Are you in high school, btw? I've just started university and things are pretty hectic at the moment, so I know the feeling of getting home after a long day at school to find something you've been waiting for. Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review :)**

**Dragongal - It's all Vegas once again in this chapter, and I've really done my best with it. Some things I just made up myself, like the new pool in the Mandalay Bay, but just ignore that fact, okay? :3 I'm really looking forward to writing the _physical_ reunion of the Kaiba brothers. That's gonna be... well, just wait and see. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**HopelessRomantic183 - I wouldn't be able to tell that Mokuba/Emiko is your less favorite pairing just by reading your review x) But this chapter will be all about Seto/Kisara, so that should make you happy :3 Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Emily - I'm glad that you're so hooked on this story. I'll try to keep it up. Thanks for your sweet review :)**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
What is Mika and Kisara's reaction to Mokuba being alive?  
You now know who're going on a date x3  
There's a pool involved.  
Looks like I'll have to ask HopelessRomantic183 to beta the next Vegas-chappie. She'll know what I'm talking about ;)  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Las Vegas, Friday, May 20,12.44 PM_

Seto still wasn't completely back in control of himself when he entered Mika's room, causing the two women inside to look up surprised. Kisara stood up from her chair and walked up to Seto, only to find herself in his arms a second later. Seto embraced her passionately, trying very hard to keep new tears at bay. Kisara hugged back.

"You okay?" she asked softly, before mentally slapping herself. How in the world could he okay? But Seto… nodded.

"You're not going to believe what happened," he said. Mika looked at him questioningly.

"I called Mokuba's cell phone… and he _picked up_," Seto continued. Mika gasped.

"He's alright?" she asked. Seto nodded, still not letting go of Kisara. Mika suddenly squealed. With joy, I might add, causing Kisara to shoot her friend a funny look. Mika walked up to the pair to hug them both.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "But what happened then?"

Seto told them what Mokuba had told him. Kisara sighed in relief when she heard that Raiku was safe and sound, although she really wanted to murder Fujiwaka and his men for shooting at her twin cousins.

It took quite a while for Seto to let go of Kisara and by the time he did, Mika was off to tell the rest of the crew the good news. Kisara smiled.

"Let's get out of here. Being in Mika's room without Mika seems kind of wrong to me," she said.

Kisara's room happened to be next to Mika's, with Seto's room on the other side of the hallway. As soon as the door shut, Kisara kissed Seto on the mouth. A quick, sweet kiss. They smiled. Then Kisara got a somewhat mischievous look in her eyes. She linked her arms around Seto's neck and looked him directly in the eye.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" she asked out of the blue. Seto didn't really know how to react to that. Okay, girls had asked him out on a date before (of course, he'd always refused), but this was still a somewhat alien situation to him. But then again, this was no ordinary woman. It was Kisara. His girlfriend.

"Well… all right," Seto answered eventually. Kisara's smile brightened. "Tonight sounds good?" she asked. He nodded. "Sure."

}:{

Kisara had to admit that it was sort of sudden to ask Seto out on a date, with the news of Mokuba and Raiku being alive and relatively OK and all, but her mouth had worked all on its own at that moment.

She was planning on taking Seto's mind off of things tonight. She asked around and now she knew exactly what to do tonight. One problem: the pool would be closed already by the time they would be done with dinner. Luckily, Mika had been able to help out with that.

By now, it was nearing 4 PM, and Kisara was trying to figure out what to wear. A gown seemed overdone, but it was of course unthinkable to walk through the Mandalay Bay in jeans. So now the question was: what do you wear on a first date in one of the most exclusive hotels in Vegas?

Mika came in at the exact moment Kisara threw a light blue dress on her bed a buried her hands in her hair in pure frustration. Mika looked around and decided to help her friend. In this mess, she wasn't getting anywhere on her own.

"Here, let me help you," Mika said and put away some of the clothes Kisara had thrown on the bed. Kisara looked grateful.

"Thanks. I just have no idea what to wear," she said.

"I can tell," Mika answered. She looked at her friend with a clear frown.

"I'd suggest a skirt and a blouse," she said. "That's not too pompous, and not too casual. You have something like that with you?"

Kisara looked at the closet her clothes were in. She pulled out a dark lilac-colored blouse with long sleeves. It was a bit tight, but it was a beautiful blouse and very comfortable. The fabric was cut deeply at the neck and it would show Kisara's body off without being slutty. It was perfect.

"You'll have to be very careful with what kind of top you're going to wear underneath that," Mika warned. Kisara bit her lower lip and nodded slowly. She had a tight top that would be barely visible underneath the blouse. She quickly took it out of the closet, only to find it was no good. The neckline of the top wasn't cut as deep as the blouse's. It would look ugly. Kisara's face fell.

"I'll go see if I have something for that," Mika said and left. Kisara went looking for a skirt. She had one, but that was a bright yellow one that was more fitting for a day of shopping at the mall than for a date at the Mandalay Bay. Not to mention it looked horrible with the blouse. And no matter what, _Kisara would be wearing that blouse!_

It didn't take too long for Mika to return. She hadn't found a good top, but she had a skirt with her. It ended just above Kisara's knees and the color was lavender. It was perfect! Kisara put both the skirt and the blouse on (wearing a bra underneath) and turned to the mirror for close inspection. She looked good, but the bra was too obvious.

"Can't you just _not_ wear anything underneath?" Mika asked. Kisara turned red.

"But… what if something… you know… 'shows'?" she asked with embarrassment. Mika chuckled.

"Then you just ignore that," she answered. Kisara couldn't help but shiver.

"It's not that I can't ignore it," she said, "It's that I'm afraid that _other_ people won't be able to ignore it!"

Mika full out laughed this time.

"You're worrying too much," she assured the younger woman. Kisara wasn't convinced, but she sighed and nodded.

"Not much choice in the matter," she mumbled. Mika pointed at the bathroom.

"Go make yourself ready, I'll make sure your outfit's done when you're done," she said. Kisara took off her clothes and went for a shower. When she returned to the room, Mika showed her a dark blue shawl that fitted with the outfit perfectly. Kisara hugged the other woman. She got dressed, and let Mika brush her hair. When she was done, Mika put a beautiful lily flower behind Kisara's left ear.

"Done!" she announced. Kisara put on her shoes (low heels, black straps) and looked at herself in the mirror. Mika grinned.

"You look gorgeous," she said. Kisara smiled weakly.

"I hope Seto thinks so, too."

}:{

As it was, Seto did. It was almost 6 PM when Kisara lead him to wherever they were going and Seto couldn't keep his eyes off of her. That blouse was just… _way_ too tight! As for himself, Seto hadn't put as much thought into his outfit as Kisara had and he was wearing pretty much the same clothes he had been wearing on the Fujiwaka dinner party. Not that Kisara minded, since he looked so handsome anyway…

"Where are we going?" Seto asked as they reached the elevators. Kisara smiled brightly.

"Have you ever heard of the Aureole?" she asked. Seto thought about it for a moment.

"The name sounds familiar," she said, "But that's about it."

"It's a restaurant, here at the Mandalay Bay, and it's famous for its good wines," Kisara explained. Seto nodded in understanding. Well, that sounded pretty good.

It _was_ good. Seto was having a good time, until he took notice of all the men looking at Kisara like they want to eat her. Luckily, some of his famous glares was all it took to have those men look the other way.

Kisara was having a good time as well. Okay, the tightness of her blouse combined with the lack of a top underneath made her very self-conscious, but no one seemed to be paying attention (and note that by "no one", I mean "Seto" since Kisara didn't really pay attention to anyone else).

"Have you ever gone on a date before?" Kisara asked Seto while taking a sip of her French white wine with a name so difficult that she'd forgotten it. Seto shook his head.

"This is my first time," he said. Somehow, this didn't really surprise Kisara. Knowing Seto and his social skills, he'd have died a virgin if Kisara hadn't…

Wait… Kisara decided not to finish that thought. She turned red a bit at the thought of her and Seto doing… _that_. Seto noticed.

"Hey, you're my first, so the chance that you'll screw up with me noticing is next to zero," he tried to assure her, thinking that she was afraid of making his first date ever a disaster. Little did he know that this was not the case and that his comment wasn't exactly helping Kisara in getting her mind filled with different thoughts. She just chose to ignore what Seto had said.

"I can't help but ask," she said instead, "Why have you never gone out with anyone?"

Seto shrugged.

"Never felt like it," he explained. "There have been some girls who asked me out when I was in high school, but I've never had any interest in anything that's not related to Duel Monsters and KaibaCorp until I met you."

Kisara blushed again, and Seto couldn't help but think she looked good when she blushed.

"What about you? Have you gone on dates before?" Seto asked. He didn't really want to know anything about any men Kisara might have been with in the past, but his mouth had done the thinking for him, apparently.

"You are my fifth boyfriend," Kisara admitted. She couldn't meet Seto's eyes, which was probably a good thing, 'cause the jealousy in his eyes could have paralyzed her.

"And… with those other four… did you…" Seto didn't really know what he was trying to ask. Probably something to which he didn't want to know the answer. Kisara seemed to know however, but she still didn't look up as she answered.

"Seto, you're not my first in any way," she told him. It was like someone had poured some buckets full of ice water over Seto, for he'd never felt this cold before in his life.

"But… if it helps…" Kisara went on, "I didn't fall in love as fast or as deeply with any of my ex-boyfriends as I did with you, Seto."

At this, Seto smiled.

}:{

They had both had a little bit more alcohol than they normally drunk, and now they were a bit tipsy. Not to the point where one gets all giggly and stuff, but their boundaries had moved a considerable bit, causing Kisara to kiss Seto full on his mouth when they were standing in the elevator and on their way to their next destination. Now this wouldn't have been overly weird behavior for them, were it not for the other five people in that very elevator.

Aforementioned next destination was the new pool of the Mandalay Bay. It was located on the top floor and closed at this hour, but thanks to some connections here and there, Seto and Kisara got in without any trouble. The room was only very dimly lit by the lights in the pool itself and the light from the Las Vegas nightlife that could be seen outside. There were some small dressing-rooms and Kisara lead Seto there.

"Want to go swimming?" Seto asked amused. Kisara nodded.

"If you have no objections."

"Well… it's just that I didn't bring any clothes to swim in," Seto said. Kisara raised an eyebrow.

"So?" she asked, "Leave your boxershorts on then."

With that, Kisara, went into a dressing-room and found that Mika had done as they'd arranged and had brought Kisara's bikini. It was a black one, and very basic. She changed, and left the small room.

Seto was now only wearing his boxershorts. He had already entered the pool and was waiting for her to join him. His arms rested on the edge of the pool at the deep part. Kisara noticed that her boyfriend was watching her every move.

"Like what you see?" she asked with a small smirk, slowly turning. Her hair was still down, but she'd removed the flower. Seto smirked back at her.

"Very much," he said. Kisara then smiled brightly and got into the water as well. It was a bit cold at first, but she quickly got used to it. She swam towards Seto, right into his arms. Kisara gasped a little at how warm Seto was. She linked her arms behind his neck and kissed him. A short, simple kiss.

Seto decided that it wasn't enough. He pulled Kisara closer and crashed their mouths together, wasting no time in pushing his tongue past Kisara's lips. She moaned.

}:{

_Seto's POV_

That one moan of hers broke what little control I had left. I had been forced to endure quite a lot this evening, and the alcohol hadn't really helped me. First, there was that tight blouse Kisara had been wearing earlier, and it was kind of obvious that there had been no top or anything underneath. Next, there were all those men who'd been staring at her. Then she kissed me in the elevator. Had there not been half a dozen people in there, I'd have pinned her to the wall and done god-knows-what to her! But now… the bikini, the lack of clothing, that had been too much. I don't know if she'd tried to seduce me on purpose, or that she just wasn't aware of what she had been doing to me all night, but as of now, I was spent.

I turned us around and pressed Kisara not so gently against the hard edge of the pool. I could feel her shivering. I pressed myself even closer to her body. Her soft, warm, beautiful body. I could feel her. _All_ of her! My body temperature was rising at full speed and my body was starting to demand… well, _something_, and I didn't know what. I just wanted Kisara all to myself, all of her, forever and ever. I wanted to hold her and never let go. I wanted her to be mine in every possible way.

Deep down, a part of me already knew what it was I truly wanted. I could feel how my hands started to move, how they started to explore the soft female body that was trapped between my own body and the hard, cold edge of the pool. The water only added to the sensation. Kisara buried her hands in my hair to keep me from going anywhere. Her tongue battled mine, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to dominate her, or if I wanted to let her take control. I feared that if I chose the latter, I'd do something to her. What exactly, I didn't know.

All of a sudden, I could feel how Kisara spread her legs and linked them together behind my body. She was clinging to me, making any space between our bodies nonexistent, and the only thing that was now preventing her from disappearing underwater was my body. I hadn't thought myself able to do something so bold, but I let one of my hands travel down, down, _down_ Kisara's body, down her back, even toying with the clasp of her bikini top, all the way down to her buttocks, and that's when I let my hand rest. I could feel Kisara's blush, the increasing of her already rapid heartbeat, how she moaned and arched into me. That's when it hit me. I wanted Kisara. In the _sexual_ way.

My hormones seemed to kick in all of a sudden, and I gave up on resisting. I let the hand that wasn't on Kisara's buttocks go to her back and underneath the fabric of her top and she gasped as I slowly moved my hand to the front. She abruptly pulled away from me. Both of us were panting and aroused and I don't know what would happen from here on out, but what I _did_ know is that I wouldn't fight it. Not anymore. Tonight, I'd live life to the fullest.

We locked eyes for a few seconds. I could read her eyes. Kisara wanted this, she wanted this as much as I did, but not here.

"My room or yours?" she whispered against my lips, and I had a hard time not crushing my lips to hers once more.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! I'll now go see a movie with my family, so see you later!**

**Poll status  
Open. Please be so kind to vote.**

**Request  
I'm looking for a wedding dress for Hasako. If you find a cool dress on the internet, do not hesitate to send me a link, okay? Make sure to put an * in the place of a dot. This website doesn't seem to like dots much. Thanks. As for the kind of dress I have in mind:  
- I don't care much about color.  
- I'm looking for a dress that's really very expensive.  
- Short sleeves, straps or no sleeves or straps at all, please.  
- Preferably not a slutty dress.  
- I want the dress to be tight, however. All curves have to be visible, if possible.  
- If possible, I'd like the back of the dress to trail on the ground a little. But only if possible.  
- If you happen to find for some nice jewelry to go with the dress, let me know!  
- Thank you :)**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Will Kiyomi survive?  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues. Again.  
My first boy/girl lemon.  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**As always, feedback is most appreciated!**

**Thanks for reading and see you all next chapter!  
**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	28. Chapter 25

**And here's a new chapter of StarCrossed! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter so much. Anyway, some special thanks to start things off.**

**Special thanks**

**Dragongal - I know the trouble of school/college, so I won't blame you if you don't come up with anything :) I'm glad you loved the Vegas chapter, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter for that. Anyway, thanks for the review :D**

**Eragonfan - I was soooo glad you reviewed! It took so long, that I started to worry you didn't like the chapter! Oh, I sound so bad now! It's not like you _have_ to review, but you always review, like, every single chapter, so I was sort of sulking xD I'm still nervous about the lemon, but HopelessRomantic183 is going to beta it for me, and I won't publish it before she gives me the OK! I'm glad you liked the Vegas chapter. Thank you so much for the review :D**

**BeautifulXinXBlood - Wow, thanks O.O I'm going to have a good look at it, thanks a lot :D**

**DragonHeart64 - I wouldn't have worn such a blouse either, but maybe... if I was really very totally in love... then _maybe_... but as it is, no. I'm really enjoying the Seto-is-inexperienced thing and I love taking advantage of that :D When it comes to the love department, Seto and Kisara are from different worlds. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - I figured that under those circumstances, Kisara should be the one to ask Seto out. And looking at their personalities and love histories, it just seemed to make more sense. I love to play with words, so to have certain words and comments have double meanings is something I love. Even if there's only one person who's aware of those multiple meanings, it's still very entertaining. The pool scene was soooooo hard! By the time I was done writing it, I was blushing a bit! I'm such a rookie when it comes to scenes like that *cries* But I'm glad you liked it so much :D Thanks for the review :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
To survive or not to survive, that's the question.  
Fujiwaka, your days as a free man are numbered!  
Moreover, your friend Matsuhita demands an explanation.  
To top things off, it looks like he wants you to lose your company.  
Mokuba calls his brother. Why does Mika pick up? Again?  
Fujiwaka is down but not out. Looks like he'll be a free man for a little while longer.  
Something's very wrong with Saeko!  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

**_EDIT  
_We count over 100,000 words now and we need 5 more reviews to cross the magical line of 100 reviews! This is my longest, most popular story so far! I never thought it would become something this big, but I'm happy that it has! Thank you, everyone, for the support! Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing, thank you for the Favorites and thank you for the Alerts! But most of all, thank you all for appreciating this enough to read it all the way to this chapter! I'll do my best to keep it up and to improve with each passing chapter! This chapter is dedicated to you all!  
**

_

* * *

_

_Saturday, May 21, 9.37 AM_

Yisuba and Pegasus had gone to visit the court while Pegasus' doctor examined Kiyomi. Nori and two maids were assisting the doctor and the four teens were told to keep themselves busy while the doctor was working. Easier said than done. The twins had decided to find a computer to go shopping for new cell phones online, leaving Emiko and Mokuba alone. Mokuba was still in pain, but thanks to the doctor's good work and some morphine, the pain was bearable. In the end, the young couple settled for waiting in hallway. Emiko was worried sick. Kiyomi had not just been a servant, she'd been a friend of Emiko's for quite some time now and the girl didn't want to lose her friend. As the two sat on the ground, Mokuba noticed that Emiko was shivering and that there was fear in her eyes. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

At that moment, noise could be heard from inside the room. Mokuba and Emiko looked up and jumped to their feet. The noise consisted of shouting, mainly, and the sound of running feet. It was impossible to hear what was being said exactly, but one thing was certain: things were not going smoothly.

Raiku and Risa came running towards the other teens, having heard the commotion and wondering what had gone wrong. Mokuba and Emiko had no idea, so in the end, all four of them were standing in front of the door with racing hearts. All of a sudden, the noise stopped. After a few painfully silent minutes, the door creaked open and Nori stepped out of the room. He closed the door behind him without letting the teens see anything from inside the room. Nori's face was pale, he was sweating, his naturally unruly hair was even messier than usual and he looked like he's just seen a ghost.

Emiko walked up to the man, the big question evident in her eyes. Nori shook his head.

"We lost her."

}:{

_Meanwhile_

Meanwhile, Yisuba and Pegasus had reached their destination and were now sitting in the office of Yisuba's lawyer, Ito. The man was in his early forties, almost bald, but with a big, grey-black mustache. He was far from skinny, but not fat. Most of all, he was the kind of man who gets the job done.

The evidence against Fujiwaka (recorders, files, photos, phone records, and so on) was put in a vault safely. Right now, the three man were discussing what their next step would be.

"No matter what, Fujiwaka must not know what we're up to until the police come to take him in," Yisuba said while shivers travelled up and down his spine. He was slightly scared. He'd almost lost his only daughter to that man. He knew what Fujiwaka was capable of.

Ito nodded.

"Yes, he might get away otherwise. In any case, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that Fujiwaka's case will be attended to as soon as possible," he said.

"Which could be when?" Pegasus asked while raising an eyebrow. Ito had to think about that for a moment.

"Today is May 21rst," he said, "From what we know, Fujiwaka plans to marry Hasako-san on May 26th. That's five days from now. We could use that marriage against him. If we hurry things too much, that could be bad for us in the long run. I'd say that we can't bring an action against Fujiwaka until June. I'd say… about two to three weeks from now."

Yisuba sighed and nodded. That was still too long to his liking, but if it couldn't be helped…

He was about to answer when Pegasus' cell phone suddenly went off. He excused himself, and left the room to pick up. He was back in what seemed like only five seconds. His face was ashen.

"That was Nori," he told the other men. "Kiyomi Nakahara is dead."

}:{

_11.12 AM_

Fujiwaka could be found pacing furiously in his favorite study this wonderful morning. He'd just received a call that his friend Matsuhita was on his way to the Fujiwaka estate. Apparently, his son Masao had informed him of Emiko lack of presence, and apparently, Matsuhita had not taken that well. So now, he was o his way to Fujiwaka to interrogate him about his disobedient daughter. _Oh, crap._

All too soon, the screeching noise of tires could be heard and Fujiwaka braced himself for the scene he was about to be a part of. Sure enough, Matsuhita stormed into the study less than a minute later, his face red, his eyes bulging and fuming. He pointed a thick finger at Fujiwaka, who gave in to the urge to take a step backwards.

"You!" Matsuhita screeched, causing Fujiwaka to _almost_ cover his ears. "_YOU!_ You think you can just do something like that? You think you can just _humiliate_ me like that? And not just me, but my _son_ as well! How _dare_ you!"

Fujiwaka was about to reply, but Matsuhita took a deep breath and went on, still pointing at Fujiwaka.

"This is an insult, Fujiwaka! I don't take well to insults! Answer me, man!"

Fujiwaka jumped at the opportunity.

"Matsuhita, I'm afraid both of us have been tricked," he said smoothly, although his knees were shaking a bit. "I have every intention to marry my only child to Masao, but after I left the house, she managed to escape."

Matsuhita seemed to only get more angry about this.

"_LIAR!_" he screamed. "My boy told me that the girl wasn't even here when he arrived!"

Fujiwaka's jaw dropped.

"Of course she was here," he said. "I informed her of her upcoming marriage and left them alone. I hate to say it, Matsuhita, but I believe your son is the liar here."

This seemed to confuse the other man.

"My son? A liar?" he asked weakly. Fujiwaka quickly walked up to the man and had him sit down in one of the expensive chairs.

"Masao is quite different from Hideki. Hideki is a fine young man, but Masao…" Fujiwaka said like he really felt sorry for his friend. For the record: he didn't. Matsuhita nodded.

"Yes, yes, you're right… I hope you'll forgive me my outburst, Fujiwaka. It's my son, after all."

Fujiwaka nodded.

"Of course, of course."

Matsuhita sighed.

"Now what do I tell the high society? Most of the already know that a son of mine is going o marry the Fujiwaka heiress. I didn't say is was Masao, though…"

Fujiwaka knew exactly where this was going. Matsuhita had never liked his youngest son, and now that Masao had lied to him, the man would never let the boy marry a woman with the status of Emiko. So now Matsuhita was planning on having Emiko marry his heir, that idiot Hideki. Not only had Fujiwaka no intention of marrying his only legal daughter to such a parasite, but it would also mean that he'd eventually have to share his company with another family. And that, he could not allow.

"I'm afraid I can't have Emiko marry Hideki, Matsuhita," Fujiwaka informed the other man bluntly. At the look the man gave him, he added: "Just think about it: my daughter ran away from home. What kind of wife would she make to an excellent man like Hideki? No, she'd much more fit for a man like Masao."

Matsuhita nodded slowly.

"Yes, I believe you're right. Thank you, Fujiwaka, for being so considerate. But I can't have your beloved daughter marry that unworthy boy of mine. After all, the girl is only seventeen. Kids her age… her behavior is only normal, Fujiwaka, please don't blame her too much. She'll grow up soon enough once she gets married."

Fujiwaka knew that he wasn't safe yet, however.

"Yes, that be true, Matsuhita, but still. My daughter takes after her mother, who wasn't too faithful, pardon my bluntness. I have reasons to believe that a man as kind and loving as Hideki will end up hurt with Emiko as his wife."

Matsuhita just nodded, so Fujiwaka went on.

"No, my friend. I firmly believe that my daughter needs a man who knows what to do with rebellious subordinates. Hideki is just too… how to say this… he tends to give people the benefit of the doubt, which is a very good trait, don't get me wrong, but Emiko… I'm just afraid your boy won't be able to handle her, Matsuhita. He wouldn't be able to punish her when needed."

That seemed to do the trick. Matsuhita sighed and nodded once again, and Fujiwaka could breathe normally again. That had been close.

"Okay," Matsuhita said, "I can live with that little scandal. I won't blame your girl for anything, Fujiwaka, so don't worry about that. I'll handle Masao. As for your daughter's marriage, I'm sure you'll find the right man for her. If there's anything I can do to help… now then, I'll take my leave. My apologies for the rude interruption."

"No worries, Matsuhita, I understand." Fujiwaka answered sweetly. As soon as Matsuhita was out of the door, however, Fujiwaka scowled and called for his head of security. He didn't have to wait long.

"You said you had news for me?" he asked the man as he came in. And some news it was.

}:{

_Sunday, May 22, 2.58 AM_

Mokuba couldn't sleep. After Nori had told them about Kiyomi's death, Emiko had started to cry. She'd run away and Nori and the twins had a lot of work persuading Mokuba into not chasing after his girlfriend. Yisuba and Pegasus had come back shortly after, and Yisuba had gone searching for Emiko. At dinner, neither had been present.

Right now, Mokuba was lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, and trying to figure out what to do. He'd given up on trying to sleep. Unable to come up with anything else, Mokuba did some math to figure out what time it was in Vegas. About 11 in the morning, he concluded. Good. He grabbed his cell phone off of the small table next to the bed and speed dialed his brother's cell phone number. And for the second time in only a few weeks, it was Mika who picked up the phone.

"Hi Mokuba," she said cheerfully. "Don't be too surprised. I swiped Seto's cell phone so that he won't be disturbed. He's kind of… _busy_."

Mokuba could hear the woman giggle. He didn't really want to know, but…

"Mika, what is her doing then? It's only eleven in the morning over there."

Another giggle.

"Well, he and Kisara went on a _date_ last night, and I'm not sure whether or not they've gotten much sleep, if you get what I'm saying."

It took Mokuba's tired brain a few seconds, but then he immediately became a bright red.

"Mika," he hissed, "My brother's sex life is something I want to know _nothing_ about!"

"You asked!"

"Try to be a bit more subtle, then!"

"What's the fun of that?"

"Fun? You just like to embarrass me, don't you?"

"Dûh…"

"…"

"Is there a special reason for your call, Mokuba?" Mika asked sweetly. Mokuba's face fell as he remembered the events of that day.

"Kiyomi Nakahara died," he answered.

"Who?" Mika asked confused.

"And agent of Pegasus'. She used to be a maid in the Fujiwaka household, but she got on Fujiwaka's hit list and he sent some guys after her to get her killed. She was brought in this morning. No, wait, that would be _yesterday_ morning. She was severely wounded. Pegasus' doctor tried to save her, but…" He couldn't say any more for a moment. He took a deep breath and tried to finish the story.

"She was Emiko's friend."

"And Emiko was there, too."

"Yes…"

Mika kept silent for a while.

"Mokuba, I'm very sorry."

"'s Okay…

"If you really want to talk to Seto, I'll go and wake him."

Mokuba felt his cheeks heat up again.

"No, Mika, that's not necessary!" he said hastily. "I just wanted to get it out of my system, you helped me a lot just now!"

"You sure?"

"I'm sure!"

Mika sighed.

"Okay. But if there's anything we can do…"

"I'll let you know. Don't worry."

"'kay. Bye, Mokuba."

"Bye. Tell Seto I said hi."

"Will do."

"Okay. See you soon."

*click*

Mokuba spent over two hours just sitting up in his bed and looking at his phone.

"Big brother… come home soon," he whispered.

}:{

The next morning brought only more bad news. Yisuba was positively panicking when he entered the dining room. Everyone else was already seated and ready for breakfast. Emiko was the only one who looked like she really didn't want to be there. And it was clear that no one had gotten enough sleep the previous night.

Anyway, on to Yisuba and the bad news.

"It's a _disaster_!" Yisuba exclaimed while he sat down at the head of the table.

"How so?" Pegasus asked while sipping his tea. Yisuba wiped his forehead with his old handkerchief and sighed heavily.

"My lawyer, Ito-san, called me just now. Someone broke into the vault. Security managed to capture one of the thieves and retrieve some of the evidence, but the man's accomplices have gotten away. The thief they captured committed suicide on the scene. Most of the evidence is gone."

Everyone had turned pale by then. Everyone, except Pegasus, who just kept sipping his tea.

"What exactly was saved?" he asked.

"Two tapes, some photos and some files. That's all," Yisuba answered.

"What was on the tapes?"

"I don't know."

"Hmmm…"

"What is it, Pegasus?" Raiku asked. Pegasus didn't look up as he answered.

"We got a tape from Hasako-san. It would be a disaster if Fujiwaka found out how she's helped us."

They all nodded. This was really bad.

At that moment, one of the maids could be heard screaming from one of the upper floors. Everyone jumped to their feet, wondering what had gone wrong _now_. They couldn't use much more bad news.

The door burst open as a young maid stormed in, her face red and clearly out of breath.

"Someone, go and get the doctor!" she said. "Something's wrong with lady Saeko!"

Emiko was already at the door to her mother's bedroom by the time the others had reached the stairs. She pushed the door open and saw her mother in her bed, barely conscious. Saeko clawed at her chest and was obviously in pain. She had trouble breathing, her skin, clothes and the bed were wet from all of Saeko's sweating, and she was shaking badly.

"Mom!" Emiko screamed. She run to her mother and grabbed her hands. The next second, Saeko gasped for breath, and lost consciousness. Her body shook weakly for a few seconds, but went limp after that. Emiko was suddenly pulled away roughly, and she saw how the doctor rushed to the bed, telling everyone to not get in the way and to get Emiko out of the room. Emiko resisted weakly, only to find herself out in the hallway, looking at the closed door and crying in Mokuba's arms.

"What's happening?" she cried. Risa (as the twins weren't allowed inside either) gave the other girl a small smile, which she hoped was sympathetic.

"The maid told us your mother's symptoms," she said. "Emiko… your mother has gone into cardiac arrest."

Emiko stopped crying immediately.

"Wh-wh-what?" she squeaked. Risa felt the gathering tears in her own eyes.

"I'm sorry, Emiko," she cried as she repeated herself. "Your mother is having a heart attack."

* * *

**And that was it for now. The next chapter will involve Vegas, and a lemon. Thank you all for reading.**

**Poll status  
Open. Please be so kind to vote.**

**Request  
I'm looking for a wedding dress for Hasako. If you find a cool dress on the internet, do not hesitate to send me a link, okay? Make sure to put an * in the place of a dot. This website doesn't seem to like dots much. Thanks. As for the kind of dress I have in mind:  
- I don't care much about color.  
- I'm looking for a dress that's really very expensive.  
- Short sleeves, straps or no sleeves or straps at all, please.  
- Preferably not a slutty dress.  
- I want the dress to be tight, however. All curves have to be visible, if possible.  
- If possible, I'd like the back of the dress to trail on the ground a little. But only if possible.  
- If you happen to find for some nice jewelry to go with the dress, let me know!  
- Thank you :)**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Will Saeko survive?  
What will Fujiwaka think of the evidence?  
Seto vs. Fujiwaka.  
Yisuba & co. vs. Fujiwaka.  
? vs. Fujiwaka.  
Las Vegas - The Trip Continues. Again.  
My first boy/girl lemon.  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thanks again for reading. I greatly appreciate feedback, so leave a review, okay?**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan  
**


	29. Chapter 26

**Hey peoples! Guess who's back? It's been a while, for various reasons. One: college = lots of work. Two: it's the lemon chapter. And every time I sat down to write it, I chickened out. But today, I decided to just grow a backbone already and write it. Of course, the advice of a friend of mine helped lots. She said:"Writing the lemon itself is easy. The freaky part is the knowledge that other people will read it." Wise words, my friend, wise words.**

**Special thanks**

**Dragongal - Hey, I just think that having everything sorted out in the middle of the story is boring, so I always make sure there's a little action going on. Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I can definitely work with this! Thanks for the review :)**

**Eragonfan - *is relieved* Oh, I have some good old alone time planned for Mokuba and Emiko, very _interesting_ alone time, I might add *chuckles*Matsuhita is the no-good jerkwad's no-good minion, so of course he'd always follow Fujiwaka. Writing his character was fun. Having Fujiwaka freak out like that even more so. And I'm SO glad with HopelessRomantic183's beta-ing. She saw a thing or two that I could keep in mind for the next time, but she seemed very pleased in her comments. Thanks for the review :)**

**HopelessRomantic183 - First things first: thanks you so much for being my beta for this chapter, it really did wonders for my nerves :D As for the review: stolen evidence and no copies will be a pain in the ass, but I'll tell you that not _everyone_ was blinded by euphoria. There are still people who have hidden agendas behind the scenes. Yup, Masao*Emiko is a no-no now. A good thing, maybe, 'cause I think Mokuba would have been insanely jealous xD And I'm SO looking forward tot writing the reunion of Seto and Mokuba! That's going to be so much fun to write! *does the happy-dance* Hihihi, glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Dragonheart64 - What can I say? Games are fun, it can't be helped :) But I'm still happy you reviewed xD I'm planning a less bumpy ride for Emiko in the upcoming chapters, so she'll be able to catch her breath somewhat. Well, that's if I leave Mokuba out of the equation... *evil chuckles* Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Come on, people! I need 1 more review for the 100! Who'll it be?**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Lemon. That's it. It's my first boy/girl lemon, so please be nice.  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Las Vegas, Friday, May 20, 22.18 PM_

_Original POV_

Their hair and their bodies were still damp as Seto and Kisara crashed into the wall, lips locked, eyes closed and very, _very_ horny. They'd gotten out of the water, into their clothes and on the way to their rooms as soon as possible, but it was still taking too long. At the moment, they had just gotten out of the elevator and at a distance of twenty meters from the rooms. The reason why it had taken them so long was because they'd stopped frequently along the way for some good, hot making out. No explanation needed.

Seto had a lot of trouble pulling away from Kisara to open the door (they'd agreed, without words, to go into Seto's room). Once inside, the young man found himself shoved against the wall, unable to speak thanks to his girlfriend's eager tongue. He was _such_ a rookie at this. Kisara didn't seem to mind though. She had taken the lead and Seto was quite fine with that, since she was one hell of a good kisser. The way she used her tongue couldn't possibly be legal.

While keeping her boyfriend in place, Kisara let her hands draw patterns over Seto's chest. She liked what she felt there. She liked it _a lot_. And so did Seto, if the soft, wanton moans he produced were anything to go by. Kisara smirked into the kiss as she slowly began to unbutton Seto's dark blue shirt. Once it was completely open, she let her hands travel over Seto's bare hot skin. He shivered as he pulled away.

"You know I've never done this before, right?" he asked panting. Kisara nodded, her eyes fever bright in her no longer pale face. She was glowing with lust, anticipation, and utter love.

"Want me to go easy on you?" she asked playfully. Seto bit his lip, then nodded. Kisara raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?" she asked with a smirk. Three seconds later, Seto was lying on his back on the bed, his shirt no longer in sight, and with Kisara straddling him. Not good. Kisara's smirk grew wider as she slowly brought her hands to the hem of her blouse and started to slowly pull it up. Seto watched, completely immobilized. Just when Kisara was about to pull the fabric over her breasts, she stopped. She let go, but the blouse was so tight that it stayed in place, so that Kisara, skin was visible from the area right underneath her breasts all the way down to the waistline of her skirt. Seto didn't realize that his hands were balled into fists by then. Kisara smiled sweetly. She was having fun.

Kisara then leaned forward, be it very slowly, until her lips touched Seto's softly. By then, their bodies were touching pretty much everywhere from their hips to their shoulders. They were pressed against one another so tightly that they could feel everything, and I do mean _everything_. Seto moaned. He let his arms circle around Kisara and pulled her as close and humanly possible. He let her dominate his mouth and enjoyed it immensely. Then suddenly, his eyes flew open and he gasped as Kisara grinded their hips together. And _damn_, did that feel good. As a response, Seto thrust his hips upward, causing Kisara to whimper softly as they connected in a very intimate way. She thrust back, and again, and again. And then Seto couldn't take anymore. He was harder than he'd ever been before in his life, and this wasn't going to get them anywhere anytime soon. So he grabbed Kisara's arms, and quickly switched their positions, so that Kisara was now under him. Her legs were spread wide, giving Seto a quite spectacular view of her underwear (just plain black underwear, nothing too fancy, but still).

"Like what you see?" Kisara whispered seductively and a little out of breath.

"Very much," Seto answered as he locked eyes with her. As good a move as always. Kisara's eyes were burning. Seto licked his dry lips, suddenly very nervous. Kisara noticed, and took his hand.

"Just do what feels right," she whispered. Seto nodded slowly. Then, he freed his hand from hers, and let it slide underneath the blouse. He turned red instantly. Kisara was so _soft_. Then the blouse was out of the way and on the ground and Seto was sure he'd never seen a woman as beautiful as Kisara.

"You're beautiful," he told her. She smiled and blushed.

"Thanks…"

Seto leaned forward to kiss her neck. She gasped.

"Do that again…" she pleaded softly. He obeyed. She moaned. Seto raised an eyebrow.

"Sensitive, are we?" he commented teasingly. Kisara blushed fiercely.

"Shut up!"

Seto laughed as he continued, this time adding his teeth. Kisara arched into him, causing their upper bodies to be pressed together intimately. Seto groaned.

"We'll be done with foreplay soon if you continue to do that," he informed Kisara through clenched teeth. Apparently, Kisara didn't mind too much as she attacked Seto's neck with her own mouth. Seto's eyes widened, then closed. He started panting, then gasped as Kisara bit down not so gently. This was going to end way too soon at this rate. Without noticing himself, Seto let his hand travel up Kisara's leg, closer and closer to the most sacred part of her body. Kisara moaned desperately when he stopped moving and pulled away, not paying any attention to what was bound to become a hickey.

"I - want - you," she hissed with fire in her eyes. Seto forgot how to breathe for a moment when Kisara's hands flew to his zipper. He had half a mind to stop her, she was going so fast. But then his pants were gone and he sat there in nothing but his boxershorts and Kisara was letting her eyes travel up and down his body appreciatively and licking her lips and Seto didn't care about what pace they were going at anymore. All he cared about was being buried deep inside that wet, _hot_ -

"_Good God!_" Seto managed to get out as Kisara touched him. He'd already found out that his girlfriend only _looked_ sweet and wasn't very gentle in private, but the way she was handling him _now_ drove him insane out of his mind. And it felt so _good_. Seto swore as he collapsed on the bed, his arms and legs no longer able to support him. Kisara chuckled at her panting, moaning boyfriend. She bent down until her lips touched Seto's ear.

"You like that?" she whispered teasingly. Seto couldn't respond. Instead, and with all the sanity and strength that he had left, he lifted his hand and started to softly rub Kisara's neck. Now that he knew that weak spot, he was going to take full advantage of that. Kisara's movements ceased and she sighed, closing her eyes in the process.

"That's nice," she murmured. Seto smirked, letting his other hand travel to the waistline of Kisara's skirt. He slowly undid its buttons and then pulled it down. Kisara barely noticed. Then Seto decided that enough was enough and pulled the garment off in one fast movement, startling Kisara and making her eyes fly open. The next moment, she was on her back, Seto lying half on top of her and kissing her with everything he had. Her mind went blank. It wasn't until Seto stopped kissing her that Kisara opened her eyes again and once again took notice of her surroundings. She became bright red when she realized that they were now both naked (_'How in the world did that happen?'_). Sure, she'd been naked around guys before, but this was still a new situation, in a way.

Seto was blushing as well as he took in the sight of the naked woman under him. If he had been aroused before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Almost afraid to touch her, Seto slowly raised his hand and laid it on Kisara's leg. She had beautiful legs. His hand went up, and up, and up, until it couldn't go any further. Seto could hear Kisara hold her breath. He looked at her face, finding her eyes almost closed. He touched her, and she moaned loudly.

"Seto, please," she pleaded breathlessly. He smirked that trademark smirk of his.

"Please, what?" he couldn't help but ask. _Way_ wrong move. In what seemed like less than a second, Kisara had Seto pinned underneath her and was straddling his waist. They were frustratingly close to his entering her, but as much as she wanted it, Kisara wouldn't get to that just yet.

"Please what, indeed," she growled as she leaned in some more.

"You take too long, Seto," she whispered dangerously, letting her hands travel all over Seto's body, driving him mad with desire. "Too - damn - long."

Seto didn't respond. Kisara then smiled sweetly and leaned in until her lips were almost touching his.

"You know what I want to hear, Seto. Say it," she commanded. Seto swallowed. It was either his pride, or his sanity that he would lose in a few moments. His sanity had always been more precious.

"Kisara…" he whispered weakly, barely able to make a sound with the way her hands were moving. "Please…"

"Please, what?" Kisara asked innocently, using Seto's words against him. She was enjoying herself _immensely_. Seto closed his eyes for a second, opened them again. He weighed his options. He could beg for it, which Kisara would never let him live down, or he could keep his mouth shut and hope that Kisara was just as horny and desperate as he was… But then he saw Kisara's face. She would get what she wanted, no matter what. Seto gave in, then. He swallowed his pride, collected what little courage and dignity he had left in his current situation, and _begged_.

"Kisara… I'm begging you…" he started. Kisara smirked.

"Please… _ride me_." At that, Seto closed his eyes, blushing madly, unable to believe that he had really just said that. Kisara made a pleased sound. The next second, Seto gasped and his eyes flew open as he felt himself enter Kisara's body in the most intimate way possible.

"Oh, _God_!" he managed to choke out. Kisara didn't wait. She started to move instantly and she had _obviously_ done this before. Seto didn't mind. He didn't think. All he could do was feel. And watch. Watch as Kisara's body went up and down and up and down and it was the most erotic sight Seto had ever seen.

"Faster!" he said breathlessly. Kisara smirked weakly, the pleasure assaulting her body too much for her to do much else. She did as she was told. She went faster. And then, without being asked, harder. Seto could no longer keep his eyes open. But when he closed his eyes, the pleasure was almost too much. He suddenly grabbed Kisara's hips with force, unable to control his lust any longer. He turned them around, never breaking the contact between their bodies, and pounded into the willing woman under him with all his might. Kisara screamed. It was too much for her. She came, losing control over her body. This made Seto lose it as well. With a loud moan, he came, too.

It took them a few minutes to regain full consciousness again. They were lying on the bed, side by side, looking into each other's eyes, and smiling lovingly.

"So, how did you like your first time?" Kisara asked softly. Seto blushed a bit and looked away.

"It was… amazing," he admitted. Kisara smiled wider, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Seto sighed. He kept thinking he'd forgotten something, but couldn't think of what it was. Feeling exhausted, he pulled the blankets over the both of them, took Kisara into his arms, and fell asleep as well.

* * *

**It's done! Yes, I realize that Seto is very much a sub in this, even considering his inexperience (HopelessRomantic183 also pointed this out), but this is what felt right. He'll have more confidence, not to mention tricks, next time. So there'll be more lemons? Well, yes.**

**Poll status  
Open. Please be so kind to vote.**

**Request  
Thank you all for the many ideas fr Hasako's dress. You've shown me some really good stuff, I appreciate the effort!**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Will Saeko survive?  
What will Fujiwaka think of the evidence?  
I know how much you guys have been craving some Mokuba/Emiko. Don't you dare deny it!  
Hasako's true colors.  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thanks again for reading. I greatly appreciate feedback, so leave a review, okay?**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Lenneko-chan**


	30. Chapter 27

**And I'm back once again, this time with chapter 27 of StarCrossed! College is a bitch at the moment. Thanks to some upcoming exams, I don't expect to be able to update for two weeks. Sorry about that. But on to the special thanks...**

**Special thanks**

**Cas Alleyne - Thank you for adding me to your Author Alert List! It is very much appreciated!**

**lilsilverphoenix - Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List!**

** M . Carlisle- ****Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List!**

**Dragongal - What can I say? Looks can be deceiving *grins* I'm sorry if some things seemed weird, like the changing of positions all the time, but know that it is just my own imagination at work. I'm not using anything from personal experience, it's all 'research' (read: reading fanfics to find out how the hell things are supposed to work out! Well, of course I know the basic stuff, but I have no experience myself whatsoever, so don't be surprised if things seem a bit off). Okay, since I suspect that I just told you guys more than you actually wanted to know, I'll shut up now. Thanks for the review :)**

**Eragonfan - I do indeed need to bring in the paparazzi now, otherwise the business trip will be over before the press hears about all this. Hmmm, I sense inspiration for the next chapter... Thanks for the review :)**

**Dragonheart64 - Hey, I just like to see how the usually dominant person gets all submissive in the bedroom *grins* But Kaiba sure will get back at Kisara for hurting his pride. And he sure as hell will use her weak spot against her whenever he wants! That's going to be sooooo much fun! And yes, I'm still going to post that side fic, although I'd first like to complete this story. I hope you don't mind. Thanks for the review :)**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Thank you for the 100th review! The next goal is 200, so you guys know what to do ;D LOL Thanks for reviewing, even though you'd already shared your thoughts on the matter :)**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Will Saeko survive?  
If so, then there are some problems.  
Oh no! Fujiwaka has the evidence.  
Is anyone keeping up with the body count in this story? 'Cause there's a body to be added.  
Three teens have nothing to do and they read something they shouldn't have read. Where's the babysitter when you need him?  
There's also a sweet moment x3**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_Monday, May 23, early afternoon_

_Original POV_

The four teens - Mokuba, Emiko, Raiku and Risa - were sitting in some huge and very comfortable chairs in a rather large parlor, not too far from the room where the doctor was busy with Emiko's mother. Mokuba had had the presence of mind to guide them all away from the noise that was coming from the room. Now they were waiting for news. Emiko was shaking terribly, and trying very hard to control her sobs and sniffs, but some managed to escape her nonetheless. Raiku was pacing frantically and her sister was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, while awkwardly moving her fingers in random, nervous patterns. Mokuba was just sitting in his chair, with his legs stretched and watching his surroundings. It seemed like ages had passed by the time Nori opened the door to the room to join them.

"Took me some time to find you guys," the man noted, while closing the door and taking in the scene before him. He sighed.

"Saeko is alright, for now," he said, causing Mokuba and the twins to sigh in relief. Emiko just nodded slowly, before resting her head in her hands and starting to cry softly. Raiku stopped pacing and went over the other girl to try and comfort her. Risa looked at Nori.

"You don't look too happy," she said matter-of-factly. Nori shook his head.

"The doctor fears for Saeko's life. She can't stay here. She needs to get to a hospital, the more nearby the better. But then we'd risk that she gets noticed by Fujiwaka before she can come back here. Pegasus and Yisuba are now discussing how we're going to do this."

"Will she die if she stays here?" Mokuba asked without looking at Nori and instead fixing his eyes on Emiko. Nori nodded.

"Yeah," he said. He bit his lip, then motioned for Mokuba and Risa to follow him, leaving Emiko with Raiku. As soon as they were outside the room and the door was closed, Nori turned to face the two teens.

"Whether Saeko stays in this house or goes to a hospital where she can be found by Fujiwaka, either way, she'll die," he said. Risa gulped.

"Isn't there a GP where we can take her? Surely that would be more private than a hospital," Mokuba suggested.

"But then there would be slightly more risk involved for Saeko's health," Risa argued. "How about a small hospital in a city nearby?"

"Saeko can't travel that far," Nori informed her. "Moving her at all will be risky enough. She has to stay in Tokyo. I think I agree with Mokuba."

Just then, Pegasus and Yisuba came walking down the hallway in the direction of the trio. Yisuba looked worried and exhausted, Pegasus appeared as calm and collected as ever.

"Mokuba-boy is right," Pegasus agreed. "I'll have my doctor look for the best clinic within the range Saeko can travel in. We'll move her at once. We'll look into the matter of the stolen evidence later."

The others nodded, and Pegasus went to find his doctor.

}:{

In the meantime, Fujiwaka was chuckling evilly in his favorite study. So his father-in-law wanted to charge him, didn't he? Well, that would be a bit hard with next to no evidence, wouldn't it?

As it was, Fujiwaka was waiting for his subordinate to deliver the evidence he and his accomplice had stolen. The accomplice so happened to be both caught and dead, so that problem was out of the way.

The door opened and the subordinate came in, carrying a large cardboard box. What surprised Fujiwaka was that Hasako also came in. she caught him looking at her in surprise and smiled sweetly.

"I saw this man in the hallway and thought I should accompany him. Up to no good again, my love?" she asked. Fujiwaka gave a short nod. Then her pointed at the door.

"I'm terribly sorry, love, but this is more of a private matter, and I wouldn't want you to be involved. Could you please leave us alone?"

Hasako pouted for a second or two, then smiled again, turned around and left the room. Before she closed the door, however, she turned her head to look at her lover.

"Ken, would you mind if I go shopping with a friend of mine? It's partially for the wedding."

Fujiwaka nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. That's fine. Be careful, though, I keep all of the guards at the mansion for the time being."

Hasako smiled brightly now. "Oh, that's quite alright. It's just shopping, how dangerous could that be? But don't expect me back for dinner then. I think we'll eat out, my friend and I."

After another quick nod of Fujiwaka, Hasako finally left, leaving Fujiwaka and his subordinate alone in the study. The subordinate, a young man with a big nose, lank hair, but beautiful coal colored eyes, had put the box down on Fujiwaka's desk and was now waiting for instructions. Fujiwaka motioned for him to open the bow, which the younger man did. Inside the box were some photos, files, tapes and reports, by the look of it. Fujiwaka greedily grabbed a file, as if he were five years old and opening his first Christmas present of the night, and opened it, looking at the papers inside. His eyes went wide, then narrowed. He closed the file, dropped it on the desk, and grabbed another one. In a matter of seconds, a small pile of files was lying on the desk. Growling, Fujiwaka took an envelope out of the box. Inside were pictures. Infuriated, Fujiwaka threw them across the room, confusing the younger man on the other side of the desk, who didn't know why his boss was so angry.

Next was a videotape. Fujiwaka stalked across the room, opened a small closet that had a TV and a VCR in it, and put the tape in the VCR. The tape was empty. The subordinate hesitantly took a file from the pile on the desk and opened it. All of the pages inside were empty. Just blank paper, nothing more. Then he picked up a photo from the ground. It was a photo of a cow. Frowning, the man picked up some other photos. A horse, a sleeping pig, a daisy, a cloud, a smiley button. Every photo was perfectly innocent.

"You failed," Fujiwaka said in a raspy voice. There was a loud BANG and a soft _thump_ and the next second, the mansion was silent and the young man with the big nose and the beautiful eyes lay dead on the ground in Fujiwaka's study.

Fujiwaka put his gun back in the drawer he'd taken in from. The evidence that was stolen… was _fake_.

}:{

Pegasus' doctor had found a clinic where Saeko could be taken to. A friend of his came to get her with a small ambulance. Yisuba insisted on accompanying his daughter and the doctor on their way to the clinic. Emiko wanted to go as well, but that was not allowed. Crying silently but furiously, Emiko fled to her room, screaming that she wanted to be left alone. When the ambulance was gone, Pegasus ordered Nori to help him with finding the stolen evidence, leaving Mokuba and the twins to their own devices. The trio ended up wandering through the mansion aimlessly. Mokuba was pouting a bit because he really wanted to go and see Emiko, but knew that she wanted to be alone for the time being. The twins were grumbling about how unfair it was that they were always excluded from everything that was going on.

As the teens walked past a small library, there was a noise coming from inside. Raiku curiously opened the door, only to find the fax machine at work. She entered the room and walked over to the machine, that had just produced a new message. Raiku carefully took the sheet of paper and left the room, intending on delivering the message to Pegasus first chance she got. Risa, curious as she was, tilted her head to read the message.

"Hold on!" she exclaimed as she snatched the sheet from her sister's hand. She held the sheet in such a way that the three of them could read it. It was a rather weird message.

_There's a package waiting for you at the Kame Game Shop. Top priority. Don't wait._

"What could that mean?" Raiku wondered. Risa bit her lip. Suddenly, Mokuba's eyes went wide.

"I know that shop!" he said. "The owner is Solomon Muto's! He's the grandfather of Yugi Muto, who is my brother's archrival!"

Risa looked at him funny.

"But what could the family of your brother's rival have that has top priority to Pegasus?" she asked. Mokuba sighed.

"That, I don't know."

"What if it's of top priority to the sender of this message?" Raiku suddenly asked. That was a good question. Risa smirked.

"Want to find out?" she asked.

}:{

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Go away!" Emiko screamed. She was sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up and her arms around them. Her face was still wet with tears.

"Emiko, it's me. May I come in, please? It'll take no more than a minute or two," Mokuba asked from the other side of the door. Emiko sighed, silently cursing the fact that she was so in love with the guy.

"Come in," she said listlessly. Mokuba quickly entered the room and closed the door. He walked over to Emiko and sat down next to her. She refused to look at him.

"The twins and I are going outside for a few hours," Mokuba told her. "I know I'm not supposed to ask you this, but would you like to come with us?"

Emiko shook her head. Mokuba mentally sighed in relief.

"Okay, then I'll see you later," he said, and got up to leave. He didn't get far, since Emiko grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down on the bed. Next thing Mokuba knew, he was on his back, with Emiko straddling him and looking at him with dark eyes.

"Emiko?" he asked weakly. "Are you okay?"

Instead of responding verbally, Emiko leaned down and pressed her lips to Mokuba's. it was a hard kiss, and it was desperate. And yet Mokuba couldn't find it in himself to push his girlfriend away. So he put his arms around Emiko and kissed her back. His kiss was soft, lazy and loving, but it didn't last long. Emiko pulled away, fresh tears shining in her eyes. Mokuba softly caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Emiko whispered. "Everything's so out of control at the moment."

Mokuba nodded.

"I know," he said. "But everything will work out in the end. You'll see."

Emiko opened her eyes and Mokuba smiled at her. She managed a small, weak smile in return.

"I love you," she whispered. Mokuba's smile widened.

"I love you too," he said.

"Be careful, okay? When you go out."

"Of course."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

With that, Emiko got off of Mokuba. He got up from the bed, kissed Emiko on her forehead, and left the room.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**PLEASE READ  
I've started on posting my first fiction story. Yes, you read that correct, no fanfiction, but ordinary fiction. Please be so kind to read Red Light. Follow the link below.  
http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/1/Red_Light**

**Poll  
Still open, please vote.**

**EXTRA!  
Just an idea I had: if you have any questions, ask them! About anything: this story, the characters, other stories of mine, or just about me. Yeah, I like to communicate with my readers, can you tell? lol  
**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
Seto is less than pleased when he picks up the newspaper.  
The business trip is coming to an end.  
And that means that there's a touching reunion coming up *happy dance*  
What the hell is up with that evidence?  
And what is up with the shop of the Muto family?  
Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
Don't tell me you forgot about this girl!  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Aaah, the satisfaction I feel after completing and posting a new chapter is undescribable.**

**Thanks again for reading. I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne (yeah, that's my real name)  
**


	31. Chapter 28

**Hello everyone, and welcome to a fresh chapter of StarCrossed, served with tea and chocolate chip cookies by yours forever, me. The exams are over and done with (thank goodness) and I'm pleased to inform you that they went fairly well. Not that I'll have a perfect score on either of them, mind you, but I think I did well. IMPORTANT: this is the very last Vegas chappie! I hope you enjoyed your stay and have a safe flight home. This is your captain speaking, over and out.  
**

**Just A Random Thing...  
I'm hooked on 30 Seconds to Mars recently... **

**Special Thanks**

**setos angel01 - Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List! It's very much appreciated :D**

**MiaKain - ****Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List! It's very much appreciated :D**

**ChaosHearts13 - ****Thank you for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List! It's very much appreciated :D**

**Kiimi - Thank you for making my day! I was soooo depressed because no one had reviewed yet, even though I knew that everyone would be busy with school and whatnot. Don't worry about this story being continued: I'm going to go all the way with this baby! Yes, I consider this my baby, I'm the worst. Anyway, thanks for reviewing :D**

**DragonHeart64 - YOU ARE FORGIVEN! I was suffering from the same troubles, college can be SUCH a bitch sometimes! And yes, another plot twist: the evidence was not the evidence. Mwhuahahahaha! Saeko is out of the picture for now, but her fate is sealed already in my mind. And thank you for the Halloween wishes, same to you! Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - YOU ARE FORGIVEN AS WELL! COMPUTER TROUBLES ARE SOMETHING WE MORTALS HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT! Okay, I'm good now. You, too, thanks for reviewing, I was starting to get worried ^.^' Yes, Pegasus stays more or less calm, but I see him as someone who doesn't lose his cool easily at any time. The evidence will show up again, but there'll be a surprise, and some trouble, of course. I wouldn't be me if I wouldn't have my characters going through a hell lot of trouble. Next chapter will be up soon, since I'll have the rest of the week off *happy dance* Thanks for revewing! **

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Like I said, this is the very last Vegas chappie. *sniff*  
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Too bad one Lisa Hartstein doesn't know that.  
As a result, Kisara starts crying. Oh well, nothing a few cups of coffee can't cure.  
Sadly, Seto seems to be brainwashed. *sigh* Men...  
This causes Mika to start and play Detective. We have a serious case here, Agent 007.**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_Las Vegas, Sunday, May 22, 10.22 AM_

It was fairly late when Kisara woke up. Then again, she hadn't gotten much sleep for two nights in a row, so it was forgivable. Just like the previous morning, Kisara found herself alone in bed. The sheets next to her had lost the warmth of the body that had been there. Kisara sighed. As much as she loved Seto, she sometimes hated how his company was always pretty much top priority to him. Just like the morning before, Seto was out of bed and even out of the room before Kisara woke up. Kind of lonely, especially with keeping their nightly activities in mind.

Kisara yawned, stretched, and got up to take a shower. They'd gone to her room the night before, and this time they'd remembered to use protection. They'd forgotten all about that on Friday night, but Kisara hadn't paid it any mind until the morning after. The realization had been quite embarrassing.

There wouldn't be any meetings today, since even the people in Las Vegas seemed to think that work was a taboo on Sunday. However, the shops in the hotels were all open, and Kisara and Mika had planned to go shopping today, right after breakfast. Tomorrow morning would be the last meetings and possibly deals, and then they would fly back to Tokyo in the afternoon. Perfect.

Kisara was just getting ready for breakfast when there was suddenly a frantic knocking on the door. Annoyed, Kisara opened the door, only to find herself stumbling backward as Mika raced into the room and slammed the door closed behind her before turning around to face her friend (and to make sure Kisara didn't get hurt in the process). It wasn't until Kisara had come to her senses again after the somewhat rough welcome that she noticed that Mika was holding a magazine. _People_. The name was familiar somehow.

"What's with the magazine?" Kisara asked.

"That's why I'm here," Mika said. She talked faster than usual, her eyes were wide, and she looked like something was really, really wrong. Mika handed the magazine to Kisara.

"_People _is a gossip magazine," she explained quickly as Kisara opened the magazine and started to slowly turn the pages. "I heard two elderly women talk about one of the articles, so then I bought the magazine to look it up, and.. and… Kisara, Seto's pissed. More than I've ever seen him before."

By that time, Kisara had given up on trying to understand what in the world Mika was talking about, but that last sentence caught her attention.

"What has an article in _People_ magazine have to do with Seto?" she asked. Mika sighed.

"I showed him the article. It's about _him_," she explained. Kisara's jaw dropped, and she started to turn the pages faster, until she came halfway. That's when she froze completely. Her eyes raced over the text, trying to wake up from what was starting to look like a nightmare.

**_NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE - THE KING OF GAMES HAS A HEART_**

**_By our special reporter, Miss Lisa Hartstein_**

**_You didn't hear it from me, dear readers, but rumor has it (and for once, rumor seems to be right) that Seto Kaiba is no longer single! The 22-year old president of the Kaiba Corporation has been known far and wide ever since he succeeded his father as the world's youngest company president ever. And ever since that day, women have thrown themselves at his feet in the hope of stealing the young man's heart. Sadly, it appeared the young man had no interest in women, or men, whatsoever. But hold it right there! The notorious King of Games has been seen with a young woman, entering a hotel room, and not coming out of it until the following morning. There's not much left for the imagination there, dear readers. Furthermore, the couple was seen in an elevator, making out in the presence of at least a dozen witnesses. It seems like Seto Kaiba has finally given the female species some hope for the future._**

**_The young woman is question in an employee at the Fujiwaka Company in Tokyo, Japan. She is said to be around the age of 24 and engaged to a colleague. Oops! Let's make sure he doesn't find out about this._**

**_The name of the woman is yet unknown. What we do know, apart from her age, is that she's from Beijing, China, and the daughter of a nurse and a factory manager. A very gifted daughter, it would seem, since she entered university at age 16 and has been working her way up ever since, although rumor has it that her position is thanks to her 'pleasing' her superiors as much as it is thanks to her brains. What to think of that, dear readers?_**

**_At this moment, I haven't discovered anything more about this mysterious woman, but fear not: I'll be on the lookout for more news 24/7. That was all for now, dear readers, but let's hope that our dear KaibaCorp president is a bit more careful in choosing his next girlfriend. And remember: rumor has it, but you didn't hear it from me._**

**_Forever yours,_**

**_Lisa_**

By the time she was done reading, Kisara was all but crying. Everything that was written about her was a lie. First of all, she was 21, not 24. Second, she was from Sapporo, Japan. Third, she wasn't any smarter than most people and certainly hadn't entered university any sooner than other people her age. Furthermore, her position was _entirely_ thanks to her brains and her parents were a pilot (her mother) and a technician (her father). What also surprised Kisara was that the writer of the article thought Seto to be 22, while he was 21. And…

"There were only _half_ a dozen people in the elevator with us," she mumbled as she threw the magazine across the room. Sighing, she sat down on the couch, and Mika joined her.

"Seto is furious," Mika said. "It would be best to stay away from him today. And stay away from any strangers, before you run into that reporter and she's going to write heavens know what about you. I guess our shopping trip will have to wait."

Kisara nodded cheerlessly. It wasn't that she was so sad that their shopping trip was canceled, mind you, she was just incredibly sad about what was in the article.

"So many lies…" she whispered. "How can anyone write so many lies about someone they don't know?"

Mika shrugged.

"Beats me," she said, before getting up to make some coffee.

"I hope Seto won't think that I had anything to do with this," Kisara wondered out loud.

"Why would he think that?" Mika asked without looking up from the Dolce Gusto coffee maker, trying to decide if she would take a cappuccino or a latte macchiato. In the end, she decided to make both.

"Well," Kisara answered, "… with all the details she claims to know about me, even though it's all lies. Someone must have told her, people will think. And who else than me myself?"

Mika nodded, but still didn't look up. This time, she was carefully adding some cocoa.

"Okay, I understand your reasoning," she told her friend, "But Seto isn't _near_ stupid enough to think something like that. Other people, yes. But not Seto. He's too smart."

Kisara nodded weakly, still not completely reassured. Mika came back to the couch a few seconds later, somehow managing to hold four big coffee cups without spilling any coffee. They sat there in silence for a little while. Just as they started on their second cups of coffee, someone knocked on the door, and in a way that told the women they'd better open up, or else. Mika hurried to the door and let the visitor in. it as Seto, and he was more furious than either woman had ever seen him. Mika closed the door and hurried after her boss as he walked over to Kisara.

"What did you say, and who did you say it to?" he asked curtly. The women's jaws dropped.

"Excuse me?" Kisara asked in disbelief. Seto snorted.

"Come on, Kisara, you have to have heard about the article in that gossip magazine by now," he said.

"Well, yes, but…"

"_Answer my question, Kisara!_" Seto suddenly yelled. Even though she was shocked by the young man's behavior, Mika didn't fail to see something in his eyes that looked a frightening lot like… _tears_?

"Seto, you know that everything in that article is a lie," Kisara tried. Seto would have none of it.

"Is that really true?" he asked in a way that made clear that he had his doubts. Mika walked up to him.

"Come on, Seto, think about it. It's a _gossip_ magazine. Those people write anything, be it truth or lies. All they care about is selling their crappy magazine," she said. But Seto just shook his head.

"I don't… I don't know what to believe anymore!" he cried, and was out of the room before either woman could stop him.

}:{

All that Mika could think of was what in the world had happened while she was with Kisara. Seto had been perfectly fine that morning when she'd seen him. Okay, he got furious as hell when he read the article, but apart from that, nothing had seemed to be wrong with him. Mika didn't need much time to conclude that Seto must have heard something while she was gone. Maybe he had talked with someone about it? No, that wasn't like Seto. Maybe that reporter had been somewhere nearby. Maybe she'd started to speculate out loud about Kisara. And maybe she'd made sure that Seto'd heard it.

"That cruel bitch," Mika muttered as thoughts of murder and torture entered her mind, the reporter being the victim. Kisara was on her bed, crying. Mika had decided to just let her be for now. It gave her some time to think things over. Knowing Seto, there would be no way of getting through to him in this state. They would have to wait until he'd calm down. Sadly, that could take a while. Whatever had happened, the article had gotten to him way worse than Mika could ever have guessed. If he even started to _cry_…

"So he must be afraid of getting his heart broken…" she mumbled as she started pacing, tapping her lower lip in the process. Maybe it would be best to wait for them all to be back in Japan, away from Lisa Hartstein. Mokuba would be able to talk some sense into his brother, Mika was convinced of this. But should she really wait that long? Who knew what kind of thoughts Seto was putting in his own mind at that very moment? Who knew what damage would have been done by the time he saw Mokuba again? Would it be too late?

Mika concluded that Seto had to see for himself that the article was bogus. But how? How to make him see? First, Mika thought, he'd have to understand just how much he loved Kisara. He'd be twice as scared of losing her, yes. But also, he'd fight at _least_ twice as hard to prevent that from happening. And so, Mika concluded, he'd be able to get over this gossip. Kisara would tell him the article was a lie, and he would believe her because she was _Kisara_.

But that got Mika straight back to square one: how to make Seto realize that he wasn't complete without Kisara love and his love for her? What was most frustrating, was that Mika felt like she _knew_! She knew how, the solution was under her very nose, but she just couldn't figure out what it was!

* * *

**Bye bye Las Vegas, and konichiwa Domino City. I had a good time writing this, expecially the last part. I hope you enjoyed it even more.**

**PLEASE READ  
I've started on posting my first fiction story. Yes, you read that correct, no fanfiction, but ordinary fiction. Please be so kind to read Red Light. Follow the link below.  
http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/1/Red_Light**

**Poll  
Still open, please vote.**

**EXTRA!  
Just an idea I had: if you have any questions, ask them! About anything: this story, the characters, other stories of mine, or just about me. Yeah, I like to communicate with my readers, can you tell? lol  
**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
There's a touching reunion coming up *happy dance*  
What the hell is up with that evidence?  
And what is up with the shop of the Muto family?  
Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
Don't tell me you forgot about this girl!  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thank you all for reading! I'll be back with more StarCrossed goodness ASAP!**

**I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne**


	32. Chapter 29

**Okay, this is going to be a short chapter, but it's one with action, so I hope you guys will forgive me.**

**Special Thanks**

**HopelessRomantic183 - Thank you for reviewing, and such a long review, too O.O Yes, Seto needs to get slapped, and hard! But hey, he's a guy: he acts first and thinks later xD He'll have a hard time trying to get Kisara to forgive him. Of course, she can't forgive him too soon and/or too easily, she'll have to make sure that he never pulls such a stunt ever again. And oh, he'll regret his words and actions SOOOOO much by the time I'm done with him xD Hey, I couldn't possibly finish this story without Seto and Kisara having a rough time in their relationship, now, could I? Hahaha, thanks for the review xD**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
What does Yugi's grandfather know?  
A lot can be said about Fujiwaka, but the guy doesn't give up easily. The same can be said about his bodyguards.  
How many pursuits are there in this story?  
We meet a certain ex-girlfriend... again...**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Monday, May 23, 13.54 PM_

_Original POV_

It had taken some persuading from Mokuba and a lot of threatening from the twins, but the trio had at last found one of Pegasus' drivers willing to take them to the Muto family's game shop. It was nearly two in the afternoon by the time they arrived. The teens told the driver to go back and that they'd contact him by the time they were done. After all, the limo attracted a lot of attention.

They found the shop open and went inside. No one was there, but there was some cluttering in the back. Mokuba looked at all the Duel Monsters cards in awe. There were some that even _he_ had never seen before, and thanks to his brother and his obsession with the game, Mokuba knew nearly every card in the game. The girls seemed to like what they saw as well. A Harpy Lady card had their special attention, and for some odd reason that he didn't understand, Mokuba thought the card suited the two.

At that moment, a man entered from the room in the back. The man was anything but tall, but you somehow knew that you didn't want to mess with him. It was Solomon Muto, Yugi's grandfather. Upon seeing the trio, the old man's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Ah! Welcome, how may I help you?" he asked. Risa took the fax message out of her pocket and handed it over to the man. Mr. Muto looked at it frowning, before slowly letting his eyes return to the teens' curious faces. He then folded the message and put it into his own pocket. Then he leaned forward over the counter and waved Mokuba and the girls over. When they were close enough, Mr. Muto spoke up.

"Pegasus is supposed to be here, not you," he noted. The teens looked a bit guilty.

"Well, yes," Raiku started, "but Pegasus is a little busy at the moment. I'm not sure how much you know, but some very important things have been stolen from him and he's trying to recover it as we speak."

Mr. Muto nodded slowly, still frowning.

"I see, I see," he said. Then he suddenly disappeared back into the back room. He was back within seconds, holding four cardboard boxes. Mokuba found it quite remarkable that the old man was capable of such a thing, seeing as the boxes were stacked on top of one another. He quickly took the two boxes at the top, after which Raiku and Risa both took one of the other boxes, so that Mr. Muto's hands were now free. Risa wanted to open her box, but Mr. Muto was quick to stop her.

"Just make sure Pegasus gets this," he said. "Don't open it!"

Somewhat disappointed, Risa lifted the box again and made to turn around and leave the shop, but Mokuba didn't move.

"You're not the one who sent the fax, are you?" he asked Mr. Muto. The old man smiled in a rather mysterious way, before bowing and wishing them a good day. As soon as the three teens were outside again, Raiku contacted their driver to come pick them up.

"What did you mean by that question just now?" Risa asked Mokuba.

"He didn't seem to know the message when he read it," Mokuba answered. "But he _did_ expect someone to pick this stuff up." He pointed at the four boxes. They weren't exactly light, and Mokuba had two of them to carry. The trio walked over to a bench nearby and sat down, putting the boxes on the ground in front of them. It was a sunny day, and many people were shopping today. Mokuba realized that on any other Monday like this, he'd be at school at this time of the day. But that would have to wait for the time being.

"Seto will come home tomorrow," he said out loud and with a wide smile on his face. He missed his brother. The twins nodded.

"And Kis," they said in unison. Then their faces saddened.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked.

"We'll be leaving next Wednesday, in the evening," Raiku told him. Mokuba couldn't help but feel sad about that. In the past few days especially, he'd grown to like the girls a lot.

"That's a shame," he said.

"Yeah, now we'll miss all the action," Risa pouted. Her sister chuckled. Mokuba grinned. But then his face fell and he went very pale.

"We have to get out of here," he said, "Now!"

"Why?" Raiku asked curiously. Mokuba pointed shakily at some men on the other side of the road. Black suits, sunglasses, big and muscular… and worst of all, they were looking at the three teenagers with a bit too much interest.

"Could they be Fujiwaka's men?" Risa wondered out loud. The other two were already on their feet, holding their respective boxes and ready to run.

"I don't want to find out," Raiku answered curtly and started to run in the direction of a park that was a few hundred yards away. As the other two ran after her, Mokuba couldn't help but get the feeling of déjà vu. A park, of all places, like that time when he and Emiko were on the run to get away from their bodyguards. Where they'd shared their first kiss and where Mokuba had started to realize he was head over heels in love with his best friend. It seemed so long ago.

They reached the park in no time and quickly went to hide in a grove, just in case. They put the boxes on the ground and sat down among them.

"What are the odds they'll come after us?" Raiku wondered out loud.

"What are the odds _who_ will come after you?" a girl's voice asked. The trio stopped breathing and snapped their gazes towards the source of the voice. Mokuba's eyes went wide.

"_Yori_?"

And indeed, there she was. Her short black hair was decorated with a thin red headband and her dark eyes looked curiously at her ex-boyfriend and the twins. She was wearing a tight black t-shirt and a short red skirt with black boots underneath and a small black handbag to top it all off.

"We're hiding from a bunch of guys we fear are Fujiwaka's guards," Risa explained.

"They might be after us," Raiku added.

"And what's with the boxes? I don't see how it's all connected," Yori said as she joined the other three on the ground. All that Mokuba could think of was that her skirt was _too damn short!_ The twins then told Yori everything about the evidence that had been stolen, about the weird fax message, about the shooting in the underground maze, and about Emiko and her mother. By the time they were done, Yori's eyes were wide and her mouth agape.

"Dear god, I had no idea," she whispered. Suddenly, she said: "Get down!" and lay down quickly, the others following her example as they saw the guards. So they'd followed them and were now looking for them. Not good. Sadly, these guys apparently weren't as dumb as the bodyguards Mokuba and Emiko had managed to trick. They came closer and closer to the small grove. Mokuba carefully grabbed a box and told the three girls to do the same.

"We have to run, the driver should be near," he whispered. He didn't dare to mention any names, especially not Pegasus', with these guys anywhere near them. The next second, a shadow fell over them.

"Well, well, well. And what do we have here?" the guard asked amused.

"Now!" Mokuba yelled. The teens jumped to their feet, holding the boxes and surprisingly managing to not fall down again from the extra weight. Raiku led the way, through the grove and in the direction of a black limo. Pegasus' limo, to be exact. There was a lot of screaming coming from behind the teenagers as they raced for the car. The driver seemed to notice the commotion and pressed a small button that automatically opened the door. Raiku dove in head first with her box and crawled to the other side of the car to make room for her sister, who got into the car in pretty much the same way. Next was Mokuba. He turned around just in time to see how Yori used some sort of karate kick to throw one of their pursuers off balance. Mokuba quickly took the box from her as she reached the car, and put it on Risa's lap. The car wasn't wide enough for the four of them to sit next to each other, so Yori boldly sat down on Mokuba's lap (causing him to blush fiercely) and pulled the door shut as Raiku ordered the driver to "Just drive already!".

The limo raced away at full speed. However, the guards had come prepared, 'cause there were three big black cars that started chasing the limo immediately. What to do now?

* * *

**And that was it for this chapter! Next chapter will be very short as well, but it'll all take place inside Seto's head! I'm curious how that'll turn out.  
**

**Important!  
The second chapter of my story Red Light it now UP! Follow the URL to read it.  
http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/2/Red_Light**

**Important #2!  
- Would you like another interview/interlude? If so, what would you like me to discuss in it?  
- Do you have any ideas for this story? Something that you think _must_ be included? Tell me!**

**Poll  
Still open, please vote.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
There's a touching reunion coming up *happy dance*  
What the hell is up with that evidence?  
And what is up with the shop of the Muto family?  
Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
Don't tell me you forgot about this girl!  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thank you all for reading! I'll be back with more StarCrossed goodness ASAP!**

**I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne**


	33. Chapter 30

**Lol. I know I said that this chapter would be short, but it turns out to be longer than last chapter xD I just couldn't resist, and decided to update twice today. **

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
Seto is getting a headache, thanks to the annoying voices in his head. They do have a point, though...**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Seto's mind…_

I can't get the doubt out of my head, and that only makes it worse.

I didn't have the right to question her, to _interrogate_ her like that, but I did it anyway, and I feel guilty.

Her tears are constantly on my mind. What possessed me to make her cry like that?

I want to go to her and apologize, say I was being a fool just now. How many times have I been standing at the door with the doorknob in hand, ready to do just that? I don't know.

There's this voice in my head that keeps me from doing what my heart tells me to do. It is a weird sensation, to have my heart demanding things from me. That had never happened before. It was always my mind that was dominant, my heart never bothered me before. Now it's as if the two are at war with one another, and Kisara is the victim.

_The reporter may have told lies, but who knows what she keeps hidden from you?_

There's the voice again, making my doubt grow, making me question the woman I love, and I hate him, _hate him!_, but there's not much I can do about it, it controls me.

_You're not her first in any way, Seto…_

I know I'm not her first, I never even assumed I was, but to hear it confirmed still hurt, especially because it was Kisara herself who confirmed it.

_How many guys has she been with before she met you? What if you fail to live up to her expectations? Who knows… there are plenty of other men who'd like to have her as a girlfriend… or something more…_

_Or something less… there are plenty of men who'd like to use her, break her, throw her out with yesterday's garbage or who'd let their friends have their way with her!_

Stop it! Just stop it already! She isn't that easily seduced!

_Who says that? How can you be sure? When she's in total control of herself, yes, then she's not seduced easily, Shinji Koda and Fujiwaka are both proof of that, but what if she's an emotional wreck? What if you broke her heart this morning? What if she's willing to accept comfort from any man who offers it? Then what will you do, Seto?_

Tell him to get his hands off of her and then I'd apologize to her for being such a jerk, and…

_Wrong! You've got it all wrong, Seto! You wouldn't do that, it's not the kind of man you are! You would get the guy in question off of her, oh yes, but you're wrong about the rest. Your jealousy would cloud you judgment. You'd ask her what the hell that had been about, just like you did this morning. The thought of Kisara having a love life _before_ you came along drives you mad with anger, hate and jealousy, more so because your love life before Kisara appeared in your life is pretty much nonexistent. _

Oh, please. As if I would ever accuse her of cheating!

_That's the thing, Seto, that exactly what you would do. You are so scared of losing her that you're slowly pushing her away from you. And all because of your jealousy and pride. _

Shut up, that's not true!

_Oh, but it is, Kaiba-boy, it is. And you know I'm right, don't you? The article… it summoned images to your head, did it not? Let's see, what was it again? Ah! Yes. "__Rumor has it that her position is thanks to her 'pleasing' her superiors as much as it is thanks to her brains". You didn't really like the images that summoned, did you, Kaiba-boy?_

Stop calling me that, dammit! You sound just like Pegasus and he's pretty much the last person whom I want a lecture from!

_But I'm right, am I not?_

…

_Seeetooooo?_

I thought I told you to just SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!

_Yup, I'm right._

…

_Seto, are you crying?_

…

_Well, I can't say I blame you. After all, it's your _girlfriend_ the article is about. And I'm sure it's terrible to have it rubbed in that she fucked other guys than just you…_

Don't talk about her like that!

… _and that brings us back to your fear of losing her to someone else…_

I told you to shut up!

… _after all, you're not incredibly experienced in that department, are you? What do they say again? Oh, yes, now I remember: "An ex is an ex, because of the worthless sex". So if she isn't satisfied, and those odds aren't exactly low if we add your lack of experience to the equation…_

Please… stop…

… _then in the end you'll lose her to another man, and… wait, Seto, were you _begging_ just now? Anyway, as I was saying, women want a man they can count on, Seto, and how much can Kisara count on you? All you care about is your company._

THAT'S NOT TRUE!

_No, it isn't, you care about Mokuba as well, I forgot. Sorry, my bad. But still, Kisara won't ever be able to top that, will she? I mean, if we take a look at you behavior of the past two mornings, for example, then what do we see, Seto?_

…

_Exactly! You had wonderful, very satisfying sex at night, but you left the room before Kisara woke up both mornings after without so much as kissing her goodbye._

She was sleeping, I didn't want to wake her…

_Taaaatatatatata. Excuses, excuses. Nice try, Seto, but you and I both now that in reality, all that was on your mind was KaibaCorp. Now, what kind of boyfriend does that make you?_

…

_Right again, Seto, well done! A _lousy_ one, that's what! I bet even Fujiwaka wouldn't have been as careless as you in your situation!_

Don't you dare mention that snake!

_Why not? It's obvious that he's good with women._

He's good at destroying them! Nothing else!

_And every woman knows that, Seto. But then why do they still fall for it? Hope, Seto, nothing more than that. He tells them, "No, my love, you're different. I would never hurt you like that", and they believe him, foolish boy, they always believe him. What makes you think that, if push comes to shove, Kisara is any different from other women?_

She's stronger! She's so very strong-willed, and she has so much spirit! That snake's tricks would never work!

_Are you sure of that?_

… yes.

_Really?_

… yes…

_There's not a single hint of doubt?_

…

_I thought so. When you see her again, Seto, what do you think you're going to say?_

…

_No? No reaction? Okay, then I'll make a guess myself. Let's see… I think you're going to ignore her all the time, or just snap at her. Either way, you won't be helping matters much._

_And then, ultimately, she'll break up with you. You're weak Seto, do you know why? Because your pride won't allow you to fight for her. You'll want to _beg_ her to forgive you, but your pride won't let you! Because the all high and mighty Seto Kaiba doesn't beg! And then she'll leave, and you'll end up with a broken heart, like her, and it'll all be your own stupid fault. And all because you didn't, couldn't believe Kisara, because her word was not enough. All because you let some stupid article in a gossip magazine, of all things, get to you, instead of trying to hunt down that damned reporter and have her go to hell for upsetting the love of your life!_

…

_And stop CRYING, boy! You think this is going to help you, eh? Well, it isn't. Life isn't one of your baby brother's stupid, beloved fairytales, Seto. If you make a mistake in your relationship, you'll have to fix it yourself. There's no magic or miracle that will fix it for you. Grow up, Seto, or you'll never get her back!_

… get her back?

_You're losing her, Seto. As we speak, as I'm trying to talk some sense into you, to get you out of that dark pit of despair and self-pity, Kisara is drawing her own conclusions, and Mika will try to comfort her, but what else can even _she_ think than that you're mad at Kisara and don't trust her anymore? _

If you're going to make your point anytime soon, I suggest to start making it, 'cause you're giving me a headache.

_WHAT? Boy, had I had a physical from, I'd be beating you up for your stupidity now! What, you don't CARE? Is that it? You claim to love her, but when it really comes down to it, you're just going to give up? I don't believe this! Seto, I'm going to ask you a question and I want - no - DEMAND an answer! Do you love Kisara?_

Of course I do…

_Do you want to lose her?_

No…

_Then why are you still in here when you should be trying to get her to forgive you?_

…

_Well?_

"Gods, I'm so scared…"

I'm so scared, so very scared of losing Kisara. But not just that. I'm also scared that I'll do it again, upsetting her I mean. Making her cry. I did it once already, there's no guarantee I won't do it ever again.

**Hell and damnation, Seto, being scared is nothing to be ashamed of! **

"!"

**Seto, we know you're scared of losing people you care about, but don't you see that what you're doing now is counterproductive?**

"Who…?"

I know I heard someone… but the room is empty, I'm alone. Great, so first there's that voice in my head lecturing me, and now I'm starting to imagine things?

_Finally, someone who agrees with me!_

I told you to buzz off!

**Seto, there's something I want to tell you.**

…

**Those who know fear, become brave. But real bravery is to overcome that fear.**

_I'm not sure if philosophy is going to help much in this, but the point is, Seto, that the more scared you are of losing Kisara, the bigger chance is that your fear becomes reality. So for once, boy, let your mind not interfere and do as your heart tells you!_

I know it's true what those voices say. Hesitantly, I get up from the bed. The pillow is wet with tears. My own tears. I walk to the door and grab the doorknob, ready to do what those voices tell me to do. They are quiet. Now what?

…

…

No answer. Have they gone away? I ignore it, try to concentrate on the task at hand. I strengthen my hold and prepare to open the door…

_- Flashback -_

_"__I don't… I don't know what to believe anymore!" he cried, and was out of the room before either woman could stop him._

_- End flashback -_

The shame! The shame I feel is too much!

I can't do it. I let go of the doorknob and throw myself on the bed once more, not caring about anyone hearing my desperate cries.

* * *

**Next chapter will take us back to Domino City and then we'll see if Pegasus' driver really is a good driver, 'cause they are being chased! Uh-oh...  
And what exactly is Yori up to? I foresee trouble, my friends, lots and lots of trouble.**

**Important!  
The second chapter of my story Red Light it now UP! Follow the URL to read it.  
http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/2/Red_Light**

**Important #2!  
- Would you like another interview/interlude? If so, what would you like me to discuss in it?  
- Do you have any ideas for this story? Something that you think _must_ be included? Tell me!**

**Poll  
Still open, please vote.**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
There's a touching reunion coming up *happy dance*  
What the hell is up with that evidence?  
And what is up with the shop of the Muto family?  
Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
Don't tell me you forgot about this girl!  
There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thank you all for reading! I'll be back with more StarCrossed goodness ASAP!**

**I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne**


	34. Chapter 31

**Hello everyone! After an absence of a few weeks, I'm finally back with a new chapter of StarCrossed! Some personal news to start things off...**

**Personal news  
- First of all, the poll has been closed and the favorite OCs are Raiku, Risa and Emiko. Thanks to the people who voted.  
- Second of all, the 20th of November was a very special day. Why? Because it was my BIRTHDAY! I'm 19 now! Yay!  
- Next: my parents both read my fic called Red Light (fiction, not fanfiction), and you know what? They are BOTH excited about it! Which is awesome, but also a bit weird for me, since it's a fantasy story, and my dad isn't into fantasy at all. But I don't care!  
- I watched Were The World Mine the other day and I can seriously recommend it.  
- I read in my General User Stats, that I've archived 140,498 words ****(excluding this chapter)****. StarCrossed counts (excluding this chapter) 113,565 words.**

**Special thanks**

**Kiimi - Thanks for adding this story to your Favorite Stories List and also thanks for the review. It made me very happy :D**

**lilsilverphoenix - I can't tell whether or not you liked the last two chapters. But you're absolutely right, Seto was very OOC in the last one. I'll try not to make it that weird ever again. Thanks for reviewing :D**

**DragonHeart64 - Hmmm, I'm starting to think that the article in the gossip magazine wasn't my best idea ever. I'll keep that in mind for the future. Yeah, Fujiwaka's goons will be in trouble if they fail (remember what happened to the last guy who disappointed Fujiwaka? Seriously, I have to do some bodycounting for this story). You comments about the Kaiba brothers made me smile ^^ Thanks for reviewing :D**

**HopelessRomantic183 - I read your review... and I could just SLAP myself! Because you're absolutely right! Why on earth was Yori not in shock when she saw Mokuba? I didn't think of that for one second! OMG, this is bad! I'll need help with this one! Anyways, thanks for reviewing :D**

**Eragonfan - First of all, you are forgiven for making me wait. Let's face it, I'm not much better. Second of all, a love triangle just might be what I'm aiming for. A bit cliché, I know, but a good cliché is never bad. You;ll get your fair share of drama. Drama, I say! I really hope I'll be living up to everyone's expectations with this chapter! Thanks for reviewing :D**

**Dragongal - The update wasn't as soon as any of us would've liked, but it's herre nonetheless. Lol, I really liked your comment about Yori/Mokuba/Emiko and I totally agree woth you on the catfight thing! Thanks for reviewing :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
There's a chase going on, involving one limo, three big black cars and five police vehicles.  
They end up in a dangerous neighborhood, and it turns out that there are more people who hate Fujiwaka then we thought.  
What's in those boxes? Well, at least it gets them out of trouble.  
Yori is thought to be a prostitute. Raiku settles that.  
Mokuba has really done it now. **

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

_

_Monday, May 23, afternoon_

Just to refresh your minds a bit, the situation was as follows: Mokuba, Raiku, Risa and Yori were in Pegasus' limo with one of Pegasus' drivers, carrying with them four boxes which contents were unknown but very important. They were being chased by three big black cars, most likely Fujiwaka's, with a total of at least three, possibly more than a dozen guards. As we speak, the four cars were racing through the urban centre of Domino City.

"Where should I go?" the driver asked.

"Not to the mansion!" Risa shouted as the limo made a violent turn that sent the four teens in the back crashing into one another. Yori, who was still sitting on Mokuba's lap, held on tight to him. Mokuba, being a gentleman, made sure his ex didn't suffer most from the small crash. As a result, space was next to nonexistent between their bodies. As soon as she could sit up normally again, Raiku told the driver to go to the highway and try to get rid of their pursuers there. As the driver took the right turn not ten seconds later, he did this so violently that for a moment, the car was driving on two wheels instead of four. The men chasing the limo followed without hesitation.

"How are we going to get rid of these guys?" Yori asked as the driver tried (and managed) to avoid other cars without any speed. The car shook and the four youngster tried to hold on to something, in this case each other. No one answered Yori's question, however, because sirens could suddenly be heard.

"Police!" the driver informed his passengers without needing to. And indeed: as they looked out of the back window, they saw no less than five police vehicles chasing Fujiwaka's men and the limo. No good! Suddenly, Raiku yelled:

"Driver! Do you have extra license plates in here?"

"Yes," the driver said without taking his eyes off the road, "They are different from the one that's on the car now, though."

Raiku grinned. "That's the idea," she said, while reaching inside her left sock to take out her pocket knife. "Where are those plates?"

"In the back."

"What's the closest rich neighborhood?"

The driver thought for a moment.

"Yutakana-kinjo," Mokuba answered for him (Mokuba would know; he lived there).

"Then go there!" Raiku shouted as she climbed over the seats to get to the back of the car. The driver didn't ask any questions and did as he was told. At that moment, shots could be heard.

"They are shooting at us!" Yori screamed, terrified. Risa moved over to where her sister had been sitting and pulled Yori over so that she ended up between Risa and Mokuba.

"Keep your head down," she told the girl while looking at Mokuba. The boy was extremely grateful. Yori was a beautiful girl and Mokuba could afford it to be distracted now.

"Make sure not to get shot!" Raiku's voice came from the back. As new shots were fired from behind them, she quickly added: "That goes for the car as well !"

At that moment, a sign came into view that said: 'Yutakana-kinjo, 5 miles'. Underneath: 'Kusatta-kinjo, 1 mile'. Mokuba got an idea.

"Driver! Change of plan!" he shouted. "Take the exit to Kusatta-kinjo and then drive to Yutakana."

"What?" both the driver and Yori shouted back at him.

"Are you out of your mind?" Yori asked. "That neighborhood is notorious for its gangs! It's dangerous there, Mokuba!"

"I know," Mokuba said, "It's so dangerous there that the police don't go into that neighborhood unless it is in broad daylight and inside a car with bulletproof windows."

"And?" the driver asked. Mokuba smirked.

"I have seen those cars they're driving, those guys behind us. Those windows aren't bulletproof."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then the exit came into view.

"Do it!" Risa said. The driver hesitated for only a second. Then, he slowed down, let their pursuers come closer, and then he took the exit at the last moment. The car closest to them missed the exit as the limo disappeared. The other cars, however, slowed down in time and followed. The police did as Mokuba had predicted and followed Fujiwaka's car on the highway.

}:{

Mokuba had to admit that entering Kusatta wasn't the brightest idea he'd ever had. Everywhere they looked, they saw gangs and loners who looked about as nice as a nuclear bomb that was about to explode. Most of them had a gun or a big knife where it could easily be seen, although Mokuba knew that all of them had extra weapons hidden on them. He was very glad that the driver made haste. The black cars following them, however, were catching up.

"Can't you drive faster?" Risa asked the driver. He shook his head.

"The car is too big for these narrow streets," he explained. "If I go any faster, I'll have more trouble turning."

He had barely finished his sentence when he took a turn and some sort of blockade appeared. The limo stopped and a gang leader came up to the driver's side of the car. He was a giant, and covered with tattoos of skulls, skeletons, zombies, half-eaten brains, and women in obscene positions. He knocked on the window and the driver had no choice but to open it. At the same time, the two cars chasing the limo also rounded the corner and were stopped immediately by other members of the giant's gang.

"What can I do for you, sir?" Pegasus' driver asked, deciding that politeness would be best. The giant snorted.

"Get out of the car," he said. The man did. Other gangsters opened the back doors and pulled Mokuba and the girls out. They weren't being too rough on the girls, but Mokuba knew that he would have some bruises on his upper arms for a few days. He was taken to the leader, who was scaring the driver with his tattoos and guns. The girls were taken to the blockade and held there. Yori got appreciative looks from all of the gang members, and some of them shouted some things in her direction that made her blush fiercely. Raiku had been smart enough to hide her knife before the car doors had been opened. Because she'd thought the gang would search them for weapons, she's hidden the knife in her bra and hoped for the best. But there was no searching involved for the girls. Only the driver and Mokuba were being searched. Then the gang leader held up his hand.

"If you have anything of value, you'd be smart to hand it over now," he said. Mokuba, not doubting his words, gave the man his cell phone. The driver did the same, along with giving the man his watch and wallet. Then the giant turned and walked over to the girls, telling them the same thing. Yori was shaking as she took off her jewelry and gave it to the man. She also gave him her small bag, which he opened. He threw anything he considered unimportant on the street: a small container of pepper spray, lipstick, a small hand mirror, some tampons (Yori grew bright red at that), a handkerchief and Yori's agenda. He put what he'd taken from Mokuba and the driver inside the bag and then held it out to the twins.

"You too, sweethearts," he said. The girls took off their watches and put what money they had with them in the bag as well. All the while, the gang was searching the limo. They took the four boxes to their leader.

"What do we do with these, boss?" they asked. The man handed Yori's bag to one of the gangsters and opened the first box. It was filled with files, video tapes, photos and so on. The man flipped through the photos and turned to Risa.

"What's this stuff?" he asked her as he showed her the photos. Fujiwaka could be seen on most of them and suddenly, everything seemed connected. Somehow, Yugi's grandfather had gotten the evidence in the Fujiwaka case. And that's what they'd been carrying with them all the time. Risa now had to make sure that they could take the boxes and their contents with them.

"This is evidence against a very bad man," she answered bluntly.

"What man?"

"His name is Fujiwaka."

At this, the gang leader turned red with rage.

"That sack of shit!" he screamed. Yori started to cry, that's how scared she was. The man went on. "He killed my brothers!" he yelled. He then threw the photos back in the box and ordered his men to close it. He then walked back to the driver and Mokuba. He pushed the driver in the direction of the girls and grabbed Mokuba's arm to pull him along in the same direction. When the five of them were together in one place again, the gang leader handed Mokuba and the driver each two boxes and ordered the blockade to be opened.

"The car stays here," he said. "Now get that shitsack in jail, you hear me?" They all nodded, and the gang let them pass. As they did, they heard one of the gang members shout: "Guns! Guns! These guys have guns!"

Immediately, bullets were fired from all directions and the small group ran away from the fight (to make things easier, the twins both took a box from Mokuba and the driver). It wasn't until they were about four blocks away from the fight that they stopped walking and sighed in relief.

"That could've ended worse," Risa said as she put her box down. They all nodded. Suddenly, a car stopped next to them. It was an old, red, rusty car. The driver got out and grabbed Yori's arm.

"Hey, baby," the man, who appeared to be in his late forties, said (he appeared to be either drunk or high, but was probably both), "If you spend the afternoon with me, I'll give you 10,000 yen. How about it?"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Raiku pinned the man to his car with her knife at his throat. "If you give us your car, I won't castrate you, how about _that_?" she asked with a dangerous tone in her voice. The man squeaked. The others got the hint. Pegasus' driver opened the trunk and the boxes were put inside. Then the driver got in the driver's seat and Mokuba sat down next to him. As soon as Yori and Risa were seated in the back, Raiku quickly kicked the man between the legs and pushed him aside before stepping into the car. She pulled the door closed.

"Hit it," she said.

}:{

It was nearly evening by the time they got back to the mansion. Mokuba and the girls took the boxes inside with them and left the driver outside with the car (he'd assured them he'd deal with it). Once inside, the teens set out to find Pegasus. It didn't take long. Pegasus and Nori were in a large study on the ground floor. The two men were discussing something or other while enjoying some of Pegasus' famous red wine. Both of them looked up when the four teens entered the room and their eyes widened in surprise when they saw the boxes.

"Gentlemen," Risa said, "We've found the missing evidence."

}:{

_23.12 PM_

Pegasus had insisted that Yori would stay the night, and she'd gladly accepted. She was just getting ready for bed when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," she said, and she wasn't too surprised to see Mokuba.

"How're you doing?" he asked. "You've been through a lot today."

Yori smiled.

"I'm alright," she said softly. Mokuba walked further into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Emiko is asleep," he told his ex. "She's happy that you're here."

Emiko had been asleep for the better part of the day (doctor's orders) and hadn't had dinner with the rest of the group. She hadn't seen Yori yet, although Mokuba had gone to see her for a moment earlier that day to tell her what had happened that day. Yori suddenly walked up to Mokuba and hugged him fiercely.

"You're very brave," she whispered. Mokuba blushed a bit, and hesitantly hugged her back. He couldn't help but notice that he'd grown taller since they'd been in a relationship. And also that Yori's body had become that of a woman and was no longer that of a girl in her mid teens and still developing. The next second, he mentally kicked himself. He had Emiko now! He loved Emiko! Yori was a sweet girl, but they just weren't meant to be! Bloody hormones…

"I should go," he said, "You must be tired."

He let go, and so did Yori. But then, when he was almost at the door, she turned him around roughly and pressed her soft full lips against his. She used the surprise to her advantage and snaked her tongue into Mokuba's mouth. Mokuba forgot how to think. Truth be told, Yori was still awesome at kissing. If anything, she'd become better at it. Then the door suddenly closed and someone could be heard running down the hallway. Mokuba instantly pulled away and looked at the closed door in horror. Someone had seen them.

* * *

**And that's it for now. Some chapter info:  
- Yutakana means "the rich and important", according to Google Translate. Kinjo means "neighborhood" and kusatta means "rotten".  
- Raiku's plan was this: get to the rich neighborhood, where there are tons of limos, get out of sight for a moment, so that Raiku can change the license plates, and then drive off and behave like any other limo in the nighborhood to try and lose Fujiwaka's goons.**

**QUESTIONS  
- I need help! Yori wasn't surprised when she saw Mokuba. Can anyone help me with the "why"?  
- Oh no! Someone saw Yori and Mokuba kiss each other! Who is this person? You tell me!  
- Think before you answer! Should Saeko live or die? 'Cause I'm afraid the end will be a bit too happy if I let her live. It might just be too good to be true. But if the majority of you guys tell me to let her live, she'll live!  
****- Would you like another interview/interlude? If so, what would you like me to discuss in it?  
- Do you have any ideas for this story? Something that you think _must_ be included? Tell me!  
- Have you read my story Red Light? If so, what did you think of it? ****http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/2/Red_Light**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"  
****There's a touching reunion coming up *happy dance*  
What will happen to Saeko?  
What will happen to Fujiwaka's goons?  
I'll tell you the exact bodycount.  
Who saw Mokuba and Yori kiss? And what will thsi person do?  
What'll happen with Seto and Kisara? And what is Mika's role in this all?  
****Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
****There's a wedding coming up.  
Will Seto FINALLY win his own tournament?**

**Thank you all for reading! I'll be back with more StarCrossed goodness ASAP!**

**I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne**


	35. Happy New Year!

Dear readers,

first of all, a belated merry Christmas ^^

That being said, I'd like to apologize for not updating for so long. College can be a bitch. I'll have exams in a week and a half so I'll be busy studying for most of my free time, but I hope to be able to update both StarCrossed and Red Light within two weeks. Please bear with me until then.

And finally: here in the Netherlands there are only two hours left of 2010, so I'd like to wish all of my readers a happy new year. May you all experience luck, health, love and happiness ^^

See you soon!

Love,

Anne


	36. Chapter 32

**I can't believe it's been so long since I updated this! My most sincere apologies! I spent a lot of time studying for my exams and I had the last one yesterday and I decided that my first order of business today would be to update StarCrossed! And what an update it is, I very much enjoyed writing this chapter, and I expect the next one to be up somewhere next week.**

**Special thanks**

**Lost4ver2Fantasy - Thanks a bunch for adding this story to your Story Alert List and Favorite Stories List! It is most appreciated! :D**

** M*Carlisle- ****Thanks for adding this story to your Story Alert List! :D I used * instead of a dot, 'cause this site doesn't like dots.  
**

**miaou5 - Thanks for the review! :D**

**What A Lovely Disaster: Thanks for ****adding this story to your ****Story Alert List and ****Favorite Stories List and also thanks for the review, it's one of the best I've ever had the honor of receiving :D I hope you got that Russian History paper done (my sincere apologies for distracting you like that). Thanks again, I hope you like this chapter :D**

**darkness bandit - Thank you for ****adding this story to your****Favorite Stories List and also thanks for the LONG review! Not that I'm complaining... Thanks for the compliment about me writing make-out scenes, I'm always a bit worries about those, so I'm glad to hear I'm doing well. Also, thank you for answering my questions, your answers will help me a lot. Once again a very big thank you, and I hope you'll anjoy this chapter! :D**

**IN THIS CHAPTER  
The flight from Las Vegas to Tokyo.  
Mika discovers a thing or two about Lisa Hartstein.  
Also, Mika and Kisara plan on taking revenge! Uh-Oh!  
**

**I've dedicated this story to HopelessRomantic183.**

**I've dedicated the pairing Mokuba/Emiko to Eragonfan.**

**I apologize for any errors in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the OC's, but nothing more.**

**Thank you all very much for reading!**

**ENJOY!**

_

* * *

Las Vegas-Tokyo airlines, hour 1_

The flight home was tense at best, but Mika didn't pay it any mind. She sat in the very back, all by herself, thinking. She hadn't been able to contact Mokuba yet, mainly because she'd been too busy with packing up and making sure the journey home was planned perfectly (she was in charge of that), but she planned on speaking with him in private once they were back in Japan.

Seto had locked himself in his room as much as possible in Vegas and he'd been working furiously, like he always did when he was stressed. He seemed to be in control of himself again and was now once again typing away at his laptop with vast determination. There was no getting through to him. Everyone who spoke a word to him got the angry, infamous Kaiba glare. Mika had chosen to ignore him for the time being.

Kisara had also calmed down, and she was chatting with one of the other women who'd come along on the trip. She acted like nothing was bothering her, but Mika knew better. Underneath that calm surface, Kisara was freaked out and desperately trying to figure out how to get Seto back to his sensible self. Every now and then, she'd look over to Seto quickly, only to look away again not a second later. Mika sighed. This was going to be a long flight.

}:{

_Hour 2_

By now, Mika had also taken out her laptop. She figured that since this flight was going to take about twelve hours, she might as well make good use of that time. An idea had struck her suddenly and now she was looking all over the internet for Lisa Hartstein. Thank goodness Seto only used airplanes that had internet on board.

So far, Mika had found out that Lisa Hartstein wasn't the woman's real name, but that made sense. If you were a reporter for a gossip magazine, using your own name wasn't always the safest thing to do, seeing as how many people you were bound to piss off. Right now, Mika was scrolling though a list of all the _People_ magazine reporters, looking for a name that stood out. But after going through the list six times, she gave up. She looked at the computer screen, biting her lower lip, thinking. What was she missing? It was highly unlikely to pick a fake name at random, there was almost always some logic behind it. So what was the logic behind the name of Lisa Hartstein? Mika looked at the list again, suddenly smirking. If course! _That_ was why she didn't find it! It would be far too obvious if she found Lisa Hartstein in this list. Lisa Hartstein… was a _man_. Mika didn't even notice herself chuckling. She clicked the link to the list of male _People_ magazine reporters and started scrolling again, very slowly, looking at every name with interest. There was one name that stood out, if only because it was so unusual. Silas Thintear. The name looked way too weird to be real, at least in Mika's opinion. That's when her eyes widened. Then she grinned. She checked it. Yes, she'd found Lisa Hartstein! That name wasn't chosen at random, it was an anagram. And anagram of Silas Thintear. Smart.

}:{

_Hour 3_

It did have its advantages to be the secretary _and_ close friend of Seto Kaiba. It meant you could order pretty much all the other employees around, and no one who questioned it. Mika had asked for a detailed report on Silas Thintear, and she got it. Of course, she made sure only the man she'd asked it from knew about it. One thing was for sure about this Silas guy: he was a master of disguise. He'd lived in now less than eleven countries all over the world, sometimes changing his name because it wasn't always easy to pronounce. Mika wasn't entirely sure how legal that all was, but it helped her investigation quite a lot. What she found to be most interesting was that Silas had lived in Japan until just last year, known as Mori Namida. Mika bit her nail while staring at the file. Apparently, Silas had been living in Sapporo. The very city Kisara was from. And no matter what, Mika simply couldn't believe this was coincidence.

}:{

_Hour 4_

The more Mika came to know about Silas Thintear, the more she was convinced Kisara knew him. Apparently, Silas - Mori - had attended the same university as Kisara, they'd lived in the same neighborhood and both had been in the same I-O Psychology class (Mika had had to Google it, since she wasn't familiar with the abbreviation, but it was Industrial and Organizational Psychology). Too many similarities, that's what it was. Now Mika really wanted to interrogate Kisara about this guy, but she didn't know how to do that.

}:{

_Hour 5_

By this point, Kisara had come to sit next to Mika (the other woman had fallen asleep), and Mika saw this as a good opportunity to get to know more about Silas/Mori. Luckily, Kisara seemed to be in the mood to talk, 'cause she'd been talking about how she was looking forward to seeing her cousins for pretty much the past twenty minutes. Mika quickly forged a plan in her head.

"You know, Kisara," she interrupted her friend suddenly, "This talking about cousins reminds me of what happened at the zoo once. I was there with a cousin of mine, Mori, who'd come to visit and… Kisara, what's with the face?"

Mika had almost missed it, but Kisara's face had fallen at the mention of the name Mori. Okay, now Mika was _really_ sure they knew each other. Kisara bit her lip.

"Well…" she said slowly, "… it's just that… you see… one of my ex-boyfriends was called Mori, and it was kind of a nasty break-up, so… not the best of memories, and we split up only last year, so it's still a bit… fresh, you know?"

Mika nodded slowly, trying her damnest not to show the idiotic grin she felt like having on her face. Looks like she'd hit the jackpot. But of course, being the good friend she was, she listened to Kisara carefully.

"Why did you split up?" she asked with interest. Kisara quickly looked over to Seto, but he was too busy to notice anything but his computer. So she looked back at Mika and softly told her the story.

"We met in college," she began, "and at first I didn't pay too much attention to him, no one did. He was a bit of a loner, and not the type to stand out in a crowd. But then we had a class together and we got teamed up for a project. And that's when I started to like him. I'd just broken up with this other guy I knew in high school, and Mori… well, he helped me get over the guy, and that's when I fell for him. And he admitted not too long after the start of the project that he liked me, and we started dating. We dated for about two years. But he was a very jealous person. I wasn't the best student or anything, but I did excel in two of my classes, one of those being the one we had together, and he felt a bit degraded, I guess. I only just finished college, a year earlier than the rest of my class, because I worked really hard to get high scores in my most important classes. And Mori felt like he was worth less than me. He was a real macho, and he felt like the man should be the woman's superior in the business world. But instead, _I_ was _his_ superior, and he couldn't stand it. So eventually, we had this really big and awful fight and we broke up. He dropped out of college within a week and moved away. I haven't seen him or heard from him ever since."

Mika felt like she had pretty much everything sorted out now: the victim (Kisara; okay, and maybe Seto), the culprit (Silas Thintear/Mori Namida), the weapon (the article), all that was left was the motive and to nail the bastard and it would be a case closed.

Right, the motive. According to Kisara, the guy was jealous. It was almost certain that Silas had been at their hotel in Vegas. He'd probably seen Kisara there, and probably with Seto, and that had made him jealous and, for lack of a better word, vengeful. But how had he been able to tell that Seto and Kisara were in a relationship? It wasn't like they were hiding the fact, granted, but they weren't that open about it either. Needing more clues, Mika took the magazine from her bag (seemingly forgetting the fact that Kisara was still sitting next to her) and looked for the article. Reading it again, an idea formed in her head.

"_The notorious King of Games has been seen with a young woman, entering a hotel room, and not coming out of it until the following morning. There's not much left for the imagination there, dear readers. Furthermore, the couple was seen in an elevator, making out in the presence of at least a dozen witnesses." _

That had to be it! Silas had been in that elevator, that was the only explanation Mika could think of. He'd seen his ex-girlfriend making out with one of the most powerful men in the business world. And although he and Kisara were no longer an item, he'd still felt jealous. So he'd decided to hurt Kisara by taking Silas' 'competition' away. And oh, had it worked! Kisara and Seto hadn't broken up, but Silas had succeeded in getting them close to that point.

By now, Mika noticed Kisara's look of disgust as she looked at the article, and Mika decided to tell Kisara what she'd found out.

}:{

_Hour 6_

Kisara had trouble hiding her fury once Mika was done telling her story, but she was very eager to help. How _dare_ that evil scum do this? Oh, he'd regret it dearly, Kisara would make sure of that!

"What are we going to do to put an end to this?" Kisara asked her friend. Neither believed Silas would stop now, especially once he'd find out that Kisara and Seto were still together. Mika had already been thinking of that.

"I'd prefer to use his own weapons against him," she said. "Get an article in a magazine that reveals everything about him. I've looked up Lisa Hartstein and "she" is very popular with the readers. To find out something like this… it should be a severe blow to his reputation."

"Okay, but then we'd still have to find a reporter, and a magazine, who'd be willing to help us with this," Kisara pointed out. Mika smirked.

"That won't be a problem," she said. "Scandals like the one we want to create are bestselling. Finding a magazine isn't going to be a problem. And I already have the reporter."

Kisara raised an eyebrow. "Who?" she asked.

"Chiko Imikara."

"Never heard of."

Mika smirked as she typed the name and showed it to Kisara.

"Look closely," she said. Kisara looked. It took her a minute to see what Mika meant, but it was brilliant!

"It's an anagram of your name," she whispered. Mika chuckled and nodded.

"Like I said, we'll be using his own weapons against him."

}:{

An hour away from their destination, Mika had only one thing left undone: getting Seto to believe it all and getting him to want to kill Silas. That had to happen, otherwise the guy would just try again at some point. Letting Seto scare him away was much easier.

"Let me talk to him," Kisara all but pleaded. Mika was skeptic. Kisara hadn't been able to get through to Seto earlier and the odds weren't very high that the results would be different this time. Yet she saw a determination in Kisara's eyes that very much matched Seto's, so eventually, she gave her friend her blessing.

"I'll be working on getting the article about Silas done," she said. "But be very careful, Kisara. Be sure to be prepared, 'cause it could get ugly. Seto is the most stubborn man I know, he'll have trouble believing it all. There's no way we're wrong about "Lisa Hartstein", but try and tell Seto that."

Kisara nodded. "Don't you worry," she said. "I'll be fine. Seto… he said something to me on the flight to Vegas… Mika, I know he loves me. He does, no matter what the article, or any article, says. I just have to remind him of that fact."

Mika looked puzzled.

"Then what did he say?"

Kisara smiled. A kind smile.

"I'll always carry it with me in my heart, Mika, if only because what he said touched my very core. He's the one, _my_ one, my one and only, and I won't let anyone take him away from me. What Seto told me was what some of his Duel Monsters cards symbolize."

It was like a light went on in Mika's head and she could just slap herself.

"The dragons and Polymerization," she said. It wasn't a question. Kisara's smile widened a little.

"So you heard."

"I sure did."

_**Flashback**_

_"What makes these cards so special to you?" Kisara asked Seto, pointing at the cards in front of them. He blushed a little._

_"Basically," he said, "they represent us. You and me." Kisara couldn't help her jaw dropping. That was about the last answer she'd expected._

_"How so?" she asked, very proud of herself that her voice didn't fail her. Seto picked up the three __Blue Eyes White Dragon__ cards._

_"The three __Dragons__," he told her, "symbolize my mind, my heart, and my soul. This I've always known. But…" He hesitated, bit his lip, and continued then._

_"There had always been something missing," he said, "Something that didn't allow me to become the __Ultimate Dragon__, the most powerful of all. A complete being. But I didn't feel complete."_

_Seto picked up said __Dragon__ and kept looking at it for a while. Then he laid the four cards on the table, turned to face Kisara and showed her __Polymerization__._

_"I've always kept my heart from interfering with my mind and vice versa. The three __Dragons__ have never been together to change into the__ Ultimate Dragon__, since there was never anything to unite them," Seto explained. "Until I met you… you make me whole… what I missed… what made me incomplete… was love…"_

_**End flashback**_

"I remember thinking how that was the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Mika recalled. Kisara laughed. Just then, the captain's voice could be heard, telling everyone to buckle up. Mika and Kisara looked at each other in excitement.

"Almost home," Kisara said. Mika nodded.

"No place like it."

The plane got closer and closer to the ground, and now the city could be seen. It was so huge…

They reached the airport without any trouble, and as the plane touched the ground, the people aboard felt a slight bump. The plane slowed down until it stopped moving completely and the engines were turned off. Mika looked out of the window.

"Hey Seto!" she called out. "It's Mokuba!"

* * *

**A new chapter is done, and I can't even begin to describe how good I feel about that. I feel guilty for not updating earlier :( Sorry again, guys, I'll try to update sooner in the future.**

**Also, I have to tell you that the Fujiwaka Arc, as I've come to call it, is almost finished! And now I have an idea: there's still the Tournament Arc to be written and I'm thinking (though not certain yet) about writing a seperate fic for that. Like or dislike?**

**EDIT  
THE FIRST STARCROSSED SIDE-STORIES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN! Check out my new stories: _The KiabaCorp Survival Guide_ and _The Lady In The Men's Room_!  
**

**QUESTIONS  
- I need help! Yori wasn't surprised when she saw Mokuba. Can anyone help me with the "why"?  
- Oh no! Someone saw Yori and Mokuba kiss each other! Who is this person? You tell me!  
- Think before you answer! Should Saeko live or die? 'Cause I'm afraid the end will be a bit too happy if I let her live. It might just be too good to be true. But if the majority of you guys tell me to let her live, she'll live!  
****- Would you like another interview/interlude? If so, what would you like me to discuss in it?  
- Do you have any ideas for this story? Something that you think _must_ be included? Tell me!  
- Have you read my story Red Light? If so, what did you think of it? ****http:/www*fictionpress*com/s/2850675/2/Red_Light**

**YET TO HAPPEN IN "STARCROSSED"****  
Who saw Mokuba and Yori kiss? And what will this person do?  
****Hasako's true colors are revealed.  
****There's a wedding coming up.  
Risa and Raiku will leave Domino City *cries*  
It'll be Lisa Hartstein vs. Chiko Imikara.**

**Thank you all for reading! I'll be back with more StarCrossed goodness ASAP!**

**I greatly appreciate feedback, so reviews are always more than welcome.  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Anne**


End file.
